Legend, Alive
by Ms. Marla
Summary: Something thought to be only of nightmares has turned up, and is much too real.  Only Holly and Artemis can save the world...again. But is their new connection a gift?  Or a burden?
1. A Feeling

**Legend Alive**

Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl. Awesome generic disclaimer, no?

**---------**

_Chapter One; A Feeling_

**Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis Fowl massaged his temples, eyes closed, breathing in and out slowly. He inwardly begged his headache to disappear, but until the twins vanished, neither did the headache. The two young boys had a toy room right below Artemis' study. Of course it wasn't his idea. Any sane individual would dislike having a child's room below their workspace. And he was more than sane. He was Artemis Fowl, genius.

"Butler," he muttered, "Please remind me to soundproof these walls." The giant man, who had been leaning silently against the study wall, smiled slightly.

"I don't see what you could possibly be working on Artemis," stated the manservant, "I thought you went clean since our last encounter with the fairies."

"I have," Artemis replied, "I am simply writing a memoir about my time in Hybras. Or, what I can remember of it. You see the time tunnel greatly affected my memories. Everything was moving back and forth so quickly, memories I formed were wiped away as quickly as they were created."

Butler nodded, "But you have the physical memories, don't you?" Artemis nodded. It was quite true. He had two very blatant memories of Hybras, one, his newfound magical abilities, and two, the hazel eye, which used to belong to Captain Holly Short. They had traded eyes in the process of travel.

A long silence fell over the two as Artemis scratched away at his notebook, writing down as many memories as quickly as possible. Quite suddenly, the scratching sound of Artemis's writing stopped. Butler looked up at the young Irish boy. Artemis had frozen and was staring intently out the window, apparently lost in thought.

"Artemis?" Butler said gently, "Are you alright?"

After a moment Artemis snapped out of his trance-like state, "Yes Butler," he muttered, "Just a small stomach ache." In truth, Artemis had just experienced a very odd feeling in his stomach, a churning feeling, as though there was something that was wrong. His mind instantly turned to one specific person, or rather, one specific fairy. Artemis grabbed the fairy communicator, which he kept with him at all times. Butler looked at him quizzically.

"Problem?"

"No, I just feel as though I should call Holly…and check up."

Artemis attempted to reach Holly, but there was no answer from her. He then attempted to contact Foaly, guessing that the centaur would know exactly where the elf was.

"Foaly here," the centaur smiled happily at Artemis, "Glad to see you're keeping in touch Fowl. Things are pretty uneventful without you wreaking havoc."

"Oh bravo Foaly," droned Artemis, "But I did not call to talk to you. Is Holly there?"

"Nope, she's busy with the Private Investigator stuff. Section Eight has been quiet lately."

"Right, well would you tell her I called?"

"No problemo Artemis." The line of communication ceased. Artemis sat thoughtfully for a few moments. Something in his gut said this wasn't right.

A/N:

Thank you for reading this :) Please review, so I'll know whether to continue or not.

This is my first story here, so constructive critiscism is welcome.

-Liv.


	2. Busted!

**AN: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming.**

_Chapter Two; Busted_

**Downtown Haven**

Holly Short crept quietly down a dark alley, careful not to step on anything that would make a sound. Her eyes were accustomed to the darkness and she could vaguely make out a figure at the end of the alley. This was it, the element of surprise. The guy would never see it coming, not unless….

Suddenly, Holly stumbled over a trash can lid and the noise alerted her prey of her presence. The elf swore under her breath. The guy at the end of the alley, who happened to be a sprite, looked in her direction.

"You here for the stuff?" he asked. Stupid criminal, Holly thought, he had just revealed that he was guilty of something. Quick thinking and the girl thought of Plan Two.

"Yeah, it's me," she said in as rough a tone as possible. Holly knew tonight would be the night she nabbed this guy. He had been selling fake aboveground visas and the LEP wanted him in jail. Of course they had bigger fish to fry. For a single moment Holly wished she were back with the LEP. Sool had been sacked as Commander and Trouble Kelp had taken his place. Holly smiled inwardly. Trouble would make an amazing Commander.

"Right, so where's the gold?" asked the sprite, clearly trying to sound tougher than Holly, and failing miserably. Holly rolled her eyes.

"Gold? I thought criminals ended up behind bars, not rich." The sprite paled significantly, especially after realizing he was trapped between Holly and the wall.

"Not always true," said a voice from behind Holly. The girl smiled devilishly. She had no reason to fear that voice. However, the sprite did.

"Evening Mulch," said Holly coolly, "Care to escort our prisoner to the van?"

"With pleasure," Mulch grinned. Mulch Diggums, quite the character. Holly was glad that the flatulent dwarf was one of her closest allies.

"You'll never take me alive!" the sprite screamed. Holly rolled her eyes again. This one was quite the drama-fairy. Then, the sprite pulled out a small gun, and things got a lot more complicated. Holly was not supposed to have a gun as she was no longer an officer, as far as the general public knew. But she did have one, what with her being a Captain for Section Eight. It was Holly's moment of indecision about whether or not to draw her weapon that gave the sprite a chance to fire and hit her directly in the stomach. She fell to the floor with a soft thud. Immediately, blue sparks targeted her area of injury.

As soon as the sprite had pulled the trigger, Mulch had leapt into action, almost swallowing the tiny creature, and spitting out the weapon. He picked up Holly and headed over to their company van, where Doodah Day was waiting to take them back to headquarters.

"Change of plans," Mulch muttered darkly, motioning at the semi-unconscious Holly. His speech was slightly slurred due to the creature in his mouth. "Take us to Section Eight HQ."

Doodah nodded, and got them there. Of course, he did so in record time.

**AN: More to follow. You guys rock.**


	3. Return Call

_Chapter Three; Return Call_

**Section Eight HQ**

Foaly was working away furiously on some new weaponry when he heard a rush of footsteps heading towards his office. He listened closely and heard Mulch shouting something about reckless driving. Foaly smiled. It amused him that such a small creature could create such a disturbance. It was then that Foaly realized that he only heard two sets of footsteps, when there should have been three. Before he had time to process this fact, his door slammed open and in marched Mulch Diggums and Doodah Day. Holly would have marched in, had Mulch not had her slung over one shoulder.

"Is she alright?" Foaly asked his voice suddenly full of concern.

"I'm fine Foaly," Holly sighed softly, "Just unimpressed with the view I got the entire walk up here." She glared at Mulch, motioning to his behind.

"Hey," Mulch said indignantly, "Not my fault, blame the sprite."

"Sprite?" Foaly echoed. Holly nodded and went on to explain the entire story, concluding with the idea that they should get the sprite to the LEP.

"Why'd you bring me here anyways?" she asked.

"Cause," said Doodah, "We were thinking that if your healing didn't finish, Foaly could watch you until it did. But now that you're all better, let's get this show on the road."

The three moved to leave but Foaly put a hand on Holly's shoulder. "Would you mind staying for a little while?" he asked, "I've got something important to show you."

"Sure," Holly nodded, "Boys, I'll join you later." Mulch and Doodah nodded and left the room. Holly and Foaly could hear them bickering down the length of the hallway about driving and sanity. It was a pretty funny thing to hear. Once silence returned, Foaly looked at Holly.

"Artemis called for you earlier," he told her.

"Oh yeah?" Holly smiled, "Wonderful, let's get him on the line." Moments later, they were connected and Artemis' face appeared on a screen in front of them. Holly smiled at him.

"You rang?"

"I did," Artemis said, "How are you Holly?" Trying not to be too obvious, Artemis glanced over Captain Short. She looked perfectly fine. Maybe he wouldn't mention anything. After all, if nothing was wrong with her, he didn't want to seem crazy.

"I'm fine," Holly said slowly, "Some interesting things have happened though."

"Really," Artemis was a bit intrigued.

"Yepp, I got shot in the stomach about half an hour ago, oh so fun," Holly's voice was layered with sarcasm. At that moment, Artemis' heart almost skipped a beat. His eyes went wide, and he looked extremely thoughtful. Holly clearly noticed this and questioned him about his odd expression.

"Oh, well…" Artemis didn't know what to say, which was strange in itself, "I called earlier because I had a sudden stomach ache…"

At this point, Foaly poked his head into the Artemis' view, "Oh good job Fowl," he laughed, "Calling Holly when you feel sick. What's next? Are you going to call her to do your homework?"

"If you must know," Artemis snapped, "I just find it strange that Holly gets shot in the stomach half an hour ago, about the same time that I get a severe, yet very quick, stomach ache. Same time, same place. Ironic, no?"

Holly stared at the screen for a moment, processing what Artemis had said. Suddenly, as it hit her, her hand flew up to her new eye.

"That's what I was thinking," Artemis nodded.

----------

**A/N:**

**Alright, thanks to everyone who reviews and who reads. You all make me smile a lot. Also, I may or may not update tomorrow, depending on how much studying I get done for my exams, which start this week. Ahhhh! I'll try my best though. Love you all.**


	4. Unleashed

**A/N: Hello guys. Thanks for still reading, you're all great. And thanks for the reviews as well. I'm going to try to make the chapters longer. Also, for those of you asking about romance, I'm not sure yet. I have a few ideas, but it all depends what pans out. There may or may not be romance, and if there is I won't reveal who right now. Enjoy.**

_Chapter Four; Unleashed_

**The Parthenon, Greece**

The ancient Greeks used the Parthenon as a place to worship the Goddess Athena. The People had a very different use for it. They laid the foundation of the temple down, building it for a wondrous queen. There is a legend, that before they could finish the temple, the queen became corrupt with power and all those who built her temple, imprisoned her within the foundation. Of course, all those who built the temple are dead, and can neither confirm nor dispel this legend. However, it is fact that when the people were pushed underground, the Mud Men took over the Parthenon, making it their own. Of course legends are silly, and we mustn't believe them.

"Legends are silly," she said to herself, over and over again, "Just silly myths and rumours, that's all."

It was the dead of night in Greece, just past midnight. There was not a single cloud in the sky and the stars were bright. A full moon shone over the girl's head. Although she was hardly a girl, just over three feet tall yet the face and body of a teenager; she was an elf. Her kind face wore a mask of nervousness as she contemplated the task ahead of her. She wasn't even supposed to be here. Her parents would kill her if they knew she was on the surface.

This young girl, Arielle, had snuck up to the surface with a bunch of her friends. Of course, Arielle did not want to, but doing something she didn't want to do was better than looking like a wimp in front of her friends. One thing had led to another, and here she was, on the surface, carrying out a dare given to her by her best friend. She breathed in deep as she crept through the Parthenon. She was looking for something, something on one of the farther pillars.

"It won't be here," she muttered under her breath, "Legends aren't real." But she had to keep going. A part of her wanted to see if there was some truth to the tales. Finally, she reached the pillar she was looking for, the second one on the left side facing west. She closed her eyes and touched it. Odd as it was, she felt something there, something like a pulling feeling. Arielle opened her eyes and carefully looked at the pillar. There was a carving at the base, of a cluster of stars.

"It's nothing," she whispered, trying to convince herself, "The Mud People put it there." Arielle turned to leave, but something held her back. She found herself wanting to continue staring at the pillar. Slowly words carved themselves into the pillar, purple sparks illuminating from the stone. Arielle couldn't believe her eyes.

"This isn't real," she whimpered, fear threatening to buckle her knees, "Not real. Not real. Not…"

Arielle stopped her whimpering and looked at the words. Something inside of her was screaming at her to read the words. Before she even knew what was happening, the words were flowing from her lips.

"_Locked away for all of time,_

_Nothing frees you, but this rhyme._

_The words read from magic lip,_

_Awaken now, bring alive the crypt._

_Forever stuck,_

_Until by magic you're struck._

_The words read from magic lip,_

_Awaken now, bring alive the crypt."_

Silence.

Dead silence fell and Arielle felt like herself again. She looked around, a little afraid of seeing something that shouldn't be there. But there was nothing. Everything was in order. She smiled. Good.

Arielle met back up with her friends and they began to prepare for their journey back underground. The young elf couldn't help but glance back once. There was still nothing wrong.

"Legends," she laughed, "They're so fake."

Less than an hour later, Arielle had snuck safely back to her house. She fell asleep soundly in her bed. Ironically, as the girl fell asleep, an ancient evil reawakened. Things like this were never good.

**A/N: Okay, this is definitely not my favourite part of the story. The Parthenon is just…amazing, and I really didn't do it justice, at all. It will definitely get better though. Writing this was a bit of a challenge for me, especially because I'm studying for my exams as I do this. Forgive me, and please keep reading. Thanks (: **


	5. Our Journey Begins

_Chapter Five; Our Journey Begins_

**Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis noticed Holly's hand as it jumped to her eye, or rather his eye in her body. He nodded, fixing Holly with a thoughtful stare.

"That's what I was thinking," he revealed. Holly had an odd expression on her face, almost like confusion. Even Foaly had stopped his remarks and looked pensive. Artemis was quite pleased. His observations seemed to have struck a chord with the fairy people. Perhaps this was the beginning of a brand new adventure with his friends. Artemis certainly hoped so; he was quite bored on his computer all day. A silence had fallen over the conversation as all three participants were contemplating if the occurrence was more than great coincidence. At least, Holly and Foaly were contemplating. Artemis was very sure that he had some sort of special connection with Holly, and he was eager to be proven right. It was Holly who finally broke the silence.

"Maybe you should come for a little visit Artemis," she said softly, her hand slowly leaving her face. Artemis bit his lip. He certainly would love to visit Haven, but there was a tiny problem. Or, to be technical, two tiny problems.

"I don't think I can," Artemis sighed, "I am watching the twins. Mother and Father have gone off to Venice for two weeks. Would it be possible for you to come up here?"

"Impossible," Foaly said, "I actually want to run a few tests, see if there's something going on here. But, that requires equipment. And trust me Fowl, I can't bring this equipment aboveground."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Artemis asked calmly. He was trying very hard not to run out of the manor and straight to Tara.

"Butler can watch the twins, can't he?" Holly suggested. It was Butler's turn to object.

"No," he shook his head, "I can't let Artemis go alone. Not again." A rather distant look came over Butler's eyes. It was apparent that he had never gotten over losing Artemis to Hybras. However, the look disappeared as the conversation continued.

"You're the genius Fowl," Foaly said, "You think of something."

Artemis rolled his eyes, pointedly at Foaly and thought about it for a moment. "I don't suppose it would be alright for the twins to join us in Haven." His voice had a tiny twinge of hope in it. Holly and Foaly glanced at each other quickly. Artemis knew he was not going to particularly enjoy their answer.

"It's pretty risky even having you down here alone," Foaly told him, "However, this could pass for important."

"They'd definitely have to be mind-wiped after the visit," Holly said quietly. She remembered when the fairies had mind-wiped Artemis and how much it hurt her to see.

"But, they're so young," Artemis protested, "Not even three years old yet! They'll forget all about you, even without the mind-wipe." Neither Holly nor Foaly replied. Artemis scowled.

"Fine," he said unhappily, "But maybe we can work around it after?"

"Maybe," Holly nodded. Artemis smiled slightly at the Captain.

"Very well," he said, "Shall we meet at Tara?"

**Tara Shuttleport**

Less than half an hour later Artemis, Butler, and the twins stood where they knew the Tara Shuttleport stood. The little boys were poking Artemis' legs. He looked down at his little brothers. They were completely identical, save for the colour of their eyes. One of the little boys had blue eyes just like Artemis; his name was Connor. The other had bright mossy green eyes; his name was Brailey.

"May I ask why you are poking me?" Artemis asked. He was slightly annoyed at having to take his brothers to Haven.

"Where are we going Arty?" Connor asked, staring up in Artemis' face with his big round eyes.

"To visit an old friend of mine," Artemis told the boys, "She's very nice, but you must be on your best behaviour. Understood? If not, I will be very upset, and so will Butler." The twins glanced up at Butler and nodded. Although he would never harm them, Butler was still very intimidating for two boys almost smaller than fairies.

"Butler is pretty scary when he's upset, right Artemis?"

The four males turned around and saw Holly Short, not standing two feet away, a large smile on her face. Her auburn hair was glinting in the sunlight. Artemis smiled and walked up to her. The two hugged.

"Glad to see you again," Artemis said in her ear.

"Likewise," Holly smiled and walked up to Butler, hugging around his leg. Butler laughed and knelt down so Holly and he could hug properly. After she had greeted her two old friends Holly looked at the twins. Then she looked at Artemis.

"They look like you," she laughed, then she turned to the children, "Hello boys, my name's Holly."

"Hi Holly, I'm Brailey."

"And I'm Connor. You're short." Holly laughed and nodded. "That I am," she agreed. She ruffled Connor's deep chestnut hair and then Brailey's raven black mane.

"Cute kids," she said to Artemis, "Ready to go?"

Artemis nodded. He was more than ready. Artemis Fowl was excited.

--------------

**A/N: Thanks for reviews. Keep them coming please. **


	6. A Troubled Call

**A/N: Oh wow, I'm so embarrassed. I didn't even catch the mistake with the hair. Sorry about that guys. Oh jeez…wow. Anywhoo, let's just say they both have chestnut brown hair. I'm really mentally beating myself up right now. Okay, and I can tell you that there probably will be romance in this story, just because I'm so sappy. Still not revealing who though…keep reading. Oh, and I also don't own Harry Potter.**

_Chapter Six; A Troubled Call_

**Section Eight HQ**

The ride down to Section Eight was anything but uneventful. Needless to say that the twins were full of questions about everything, including Foaly. When the boys saw the centaur their jaws dropped simultaneously. Foaly looked a little put out when he first noticed the tots gawking at him. He tried to be nice about it.

"Look Arty," Connor said, pulling on his big brother's Armani pants, "It's a horse man. I saw one of them on Harry Potter." Holly laughed at the shocked expression on Foaly's face. Brailey nodded at his brother's observation.

"Only, that horse man was ugly. This one isn't that bad. He has pretty fur." Brailey clapped his hands and patted Foaly gently. The centaur looked like he would pass out right then and there. Artemis smirked.

"Not one for children Foaly?" he chuckled. Foaly narrowed his eyes at the pale teenager.

"Hilarious Fowl, now would you be as kind as to call off your minions?"

"Their children," Artemis grinned, "But yes, I'll get them off your back. Connor, Brailey, what did I say about being good?" The two boys looked up with wide eyes at their brother.

"Sorry Arty," muttered Connor, "Sorry horsey-man." Foaly took a deep breath and Holly stepped in.

"Boys, this is Foaly," she said. Then she knelt down and whispered in their ears, "If you call him horsey-man too many times, he'll explode." The boys gasped and apologized to Holly and to Foaly once more.

"Butler, can you take Connor and Brailey for a little walk while I talk to Holly and Artemis?" asked Foaly. Butler nodded. "Good," said the centaur, "Don't let them touch anything though. And stay away from the weapons room."

"I wouldn't let them hold guns Foaly," said the manservant, smirking. He knew what was coming next.

"It's not them I was worried about," muttered Foaly. Butler laughed; he had expected that reply, and took the boys out of the room, leaving an elf, a human, and a centaur all sitting quietly in a circle.

"So," Artemis spoke as soon as the doors were closed, "What's going on?"

"Well," Foaly replied, "I was hoping you could tell us. You say you had a sore stomach around the time Holly was getting hit in the stomach?"

"Indeed," Artemis nodded, "It's odd really. It's not the first time this has happened." He looked at Holly, staring her straight in the face, "I felt it in Hybras too, not as strong, but when she…fell…I felt it." Holly breathed in deep. She had been killed in Hybras, but Artemis had gone back and saved her life. She hadn't told anyone, and neither had he. It was their little secret.

"But that was before the eye," Holly pointed out.

"Yes, it was," Artemis agreed, "But I did have magic at that point, correct?" Holly nodded. "Exactly," the boy continued, "I believe that it has something to do with the magic. We're so close that I can feel things you feel and vice versa. And when we traded eyes, we became even closer, right?"

"Right," Holly nodded again, "Connected physically and not just emotionally any more."

"Exactly," Artemis clasped his hands together, pleased that Holly understood his theory.

"Oh gods," Foaly snorted, "You two sound like a cheesy Mud Man novel," he put on a high-pitched voice, "_We're so connected, emotionally and physically. We share something special._"

Holly and Artemis both looked at him, with their eyebrows raised. Foaly stared back, trying to hold back his laughter.

"It's not as funny when you're the only one laughing at your own jokes," Artemis said dryly, "Now, you said you wanted to run some tests?"

"Oh yes, of course, just give me one minute to set some things up." Foaly busied himself, trotting around his office and gathering various odd objects. Holly and Artemis remained seated.

"I know you're right," Holly murmured, "We don't need a test to prove it."

"Obviously," Artemis said, a tiny bit of cockiness in his voice, "I'm always right. But I felt that we could just humour Foaly."

"You amaze me Artemis," Holly laughed. Artemis opened his mouth to reply, but he never got the chance. And Foaly never got the chance to run his tests, because at that moment the very stressed face of Commander Trouble Kelp appeared on a large screen in front of the group.

"Trouble!" Holly exclaimed. The Commander saw Holly and for one single moment his worried face cracked into a smile.

"Holly, is Foaly around?" he asked, completely serious again.

"Right here," the centaur called from behind Holly and Artemis.

"Foaly," Trouble said, his voice layered with stress, "We've got an aboveground situation." Foaly looked at the new Commander sideways.

"Isn't that why we have the LEP?" Foaly asked, "Why are you calling me, at Section Eight?"

"Because," Trouble muttered, "I've never seen anything like this before."

And something in his voice told Artemis that this was the beginning of a new adventure.

And somehow he knew that this would be dangerous.

--------------------

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed. And I hope there are no mistakes. Hahaha, reviews please.**


	7. Fallen Star

_Chapter Seven; Fallen Star_

**The Parthenon, Greece**

It had been merely half an hour since the spell had been recited, and the world was already changing, most definitely not for the better. A small beam of light erupted from the center of the magical pillar. It was a small, concentrated beam of bright yellow light, and it hit the pillar opposite. As the light made contact with the second stone surface, the beam expanded into a vast spectrum of different coloured lights. It was a breathtaking sight, beautiful in an evil sort of way. A shrill shriek echoed in the empty night as the different coloured beams took form, humanoid form. Slowly the form took a solid shape and sharp elfin features were revealed. Long, flowing black hair, deep, almond shaped, amethyst coloured eyes, thin pink lips, there was almost something eagle-like about the female. As the light dissipated, she smiled slyly.

"Excellent," she whispered, her voice cracked, "I'm finally free." She took a single step forward, wobbling slightly on legs that hadn't been used for thousands of years.

"It is time," she said to herself, "That the People realize the mistake of locking me up. It won't be long until all know my name, until all fear and tremble at my mention," she paused for a moment and looked around, "This will be quite amusing."

The thing one must know about legends, is sometimes there is a truth to them. The legend that Arielle had doubted for so long was truthfully simple fact. Unknowingly, and unwillingly, she had unleashed this evil onto the world. An ancient queen, bent on revenge for her imprisonment. This queen, Celestia as she was called, would stop at nothing to wreak havoc for her people.

"It shall start simple," she said, glancing up at the sky and waving her hands. A single star fell from it's place amongst the others. It sped towards the Earth at an alarmingly quick pace. The star rushed through the atmosphere and crashed next to a riverbank less than a mile away. Upon impact, the star burst into flames, blue flames that flew high into the night sky, like a signal to some unknown source of evil.

Back in the Parthenon, Celestia laughed wickedly. "Perfect," she crowed, "And this is only the beginning." With a quick swish of her black velvet cloak, the fallen queen disappeared into the night sky.

**Police Plaza**

Trouble Kelp sat at his desk, lost in thought. He was mulling over the fact that he was now Commander Kelp. Proud, he most certainly was. But Trouble Kelp was also a little nervous.

He had always been a much respected officer of the LEP. He was the first to rush into battle and the first to come out victorious, save that one incident with Fowl's bodyguard. Trouble wondered what his first real mission as Commander would feel like. He wondered how dangerous it would be and how long it would take to resolve. Julius Root had literally saved the fairy race a hundred times. Trouble wanted to do the same. He wanted to be an amazing Commander, and more than half of him wanted to do it for Julius.

Trouble sighed deeply and looked down at the paperwork in front of him. It was new recruit time and he was having a tough time deciding who was good enough for the LEP.

"I wish I didn't have to do this junk," Trouble mumbled, placing the papers in his desk for a later time. However, what Commander Kelp should have known is that you always have to be careful what you wish for.

Trouble's communicator beeped, knocking the Commander out of his tired daze. He glanced down at the screen, at his brother Grub's face. The younger of the Kelp brothers looked scared.

"Problem Grub?" asked Trouble, not too concerned. Last week, Grub had called Trouble because he couldn't find the lunch that their mother had made him.

"There's a….there's a…." Grub stuttered over his words. Trouble got annoyed.

"Spit it out already!" 

"There's a situation aboveground," Grub said quickly, "Look!"

He pointed his communicator and the blue flames erupting from the ground. Trouble went wide eyed. This was almost unbelievable. However, he knew he had to keep his cool. Once the Commander panicked, everyone did.

"Have any Mud Men come to investigate?" asked Trouble.

"No, it's late though," Grub stated, "They're all sleeping."

"Okay, but I doubt they'll sleep through something like that for long," Trouble warned, "Put that thing out, and find a cause. ASAP."

"Will do."

The communication ceased. Trouble knew that once this cause was found he wouldn't like it. That was why he opened his communicator again and called Foaly.

------------

**A/N: Ehh, not my favourite, but I hope you enjoyed. Reviews please. Love you all.**


	8. Disbelief

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys . Hope you like this chapter.**

----------

_Chapter Eight; Disbelief_

**Section Eight HQ**

Holly didn't like the sound of Trouble's voice; he was not one to worry easily. And apart from that fact, he was Commander. Commanders shouldn't ever worry; at least not visibly. Without a moment of hesitation, Captain Short jumped into action.

"Trouble, talk fast," she instructed. The Commander shook his head.

"Just watch," he muttered as he connected Foaly's screen with the video feed from Grub's helmet. Instantly, images from Greece were projected in the Section Eight office. The three occupants of the room watched in awe as they saw blue flames dancing down the riverbank, quickly being extinguished by LEP officials. Artemis narrowed his eyes at the screen.

"What could cause something of that magnitude?" he asked, for the first time not really having any theory to ponder upon. Holly shook her head slowly, shocked.

"It's…I have no idea," Holly said, almost at a loss for words, "Any ideas Foaly?"

"Not sure," Foaly looked stunned, "Have we found a cause Trouble?"

"Last time I checked, no, but I'll ask again. Just…one…second…"

At that moment, Grub Kelp's face popped up in a tiny square off to the side of the screen. He was sweating something fierce and Artemis could have sworn he looked close to tears.

"Grub," Trouble said solemnly, "Any cause?"

"Yeah," Grub nodded pathetically, "It's really weird though Trubs, I think it might be fake. I mean, it can't possibly be real. You have to see it Trubs. It's so weird."

The blabbering was getting on Artemis' nerves but he thought it would be rude to interrupt the creature when they had not yet made proper acquaintance. He had no need to worry though, because Trouble was very intent upon stopping his brother's yapping.

"Grub, what are you babbling about? And it's Commander, not Trubs." Without another word, Grub Kelp slowly moved a tiny, shining object into the view of the screen. Trouble's eyes went wide and Foaly's shoulders slumped. Sitting there, in Grub's semi-plump hand was a star with a fading glow.

"Impossible," whispered Artemis, astonished at what he was seeing. A single moment of complete silence fell, but was interrupted by Foaly.

"Trouble, bring your team back underground. I'll call you back in a few minutes. I need to talk to Holly and Artemis." Trouble was about to argue but thought about the better alternative, which was agreeing, and did so.

"Alright Foaly, what are we dealing with?" Artemis asked, very curious.

"You'll laugh when I tell you," Foaly sighed, "At least, Holly will." The elf looked up at the mention of her name, and smirked slightly.

"Try me," she urged. Foaly shook his head and smoothed out his mane.

"Alright," began the centaur, inwardly amazed at what he was about to say, "You know the legend of Queen Celestia, right Holly?" She nodded. "Alright," Foaly continued, "Well…it's…it's real."

Holly looked at the centaur, and expression of disbelief spread over her features. Then, she began to laugh, quietly, but she was laughing without a doubt. "Oh, very funny Foaly," she giggled, "Real mature."

"Holly," he begged, "You have to listen! I'm telling the truth." Holly looked at her friend, and it was something in his eyes that made her nod and listen.

"Pay attention Artemis," Foaly warned, "You may prove to be useful yet again." And with that, the centaur began to tell a story, one that started years upon years ago.

"Okay, a long time ago, there was a beautiful queen. Her name was Celestia and she was loved and worshipped by all the people, but one thing led to another and the power got to her head. Kind of like an ancient version of Koboi. Anyways, all the People worked together to build a temple for the Queen, where the Parthenon stands today. They trapped her in a sphere of light, and they cast a spell on her, so that she would remain forever imprisoned until someone magical set her free. And, I'm afraid that's what happened."

"You're grasping at straws Foaly," Artemis shook his head, "What solid evidence do you have that supports this outrageous theory?"

"One," Foaly began to count on his fingers, "It was clearly magic that started that fire. Two, the Queen vowed revenge, and to inform you, she had magical powers. Three, the locations are much too similar to ignore. And four, the legend says that the Queen's arrival will be marked by a falling star."

Artemis shut his mouth. Holly was amazed. She had heard this legend numerous times as a child, but she had always believed it to be a crock of nonsense. She scratched her head slowly, contemplating all the information that had just been given to her.

"Wait," she muttered, glancing at Foaly, "How do you know all this?" The centaur flushed.

"Well," he said, "A few years ago there was a bit of a scare. It turned out to be some morons playing a prank, not a hellish Queen bent on revenge. But…I was a little worried so I researched the legend and made myself prepared. I even…"

"You even what Foaly?"

"I even installed cameras in the Parthenon, you know, just in case."

"Brilliant," Artemis said, "Your worrying has paid off." 

"Shut it Fowl," Foaly snapped as he accessed the cameras hidden throughout the Parthenon. Within moments, the group were watching footage of a young elf, apparently spellbound, reciting some ancient incantation. Then, all was quiet for about half an hour. After that time had passed, a light began to pulse from a pillar, and the cameras went dead.

"I don't believe it," Holly said, "She's real."

"How do we stop her?" Artemis said with a genuine smile on his face. Saving the world would be a great vacation from his normal bland life.

"Well, we have to find out who set her free," Foaly said, "Which I can figure out from this video. We find him or her and we go from there."

"Alright," Holly said, a forceful tone taking over her voice. This was her element. "We find the idiot who let the…thing loose. Then we assemble a team and we take down this evil creature queen. Right?"

"Sounds about right," Artemis nodded, "As long as I'm part of said team. And Butler of course."

"But what about the twins?" Holly asked.

"Oh." The genius stopped and thought for a moment. Then a wondrous idea struck him. "I think I know someone who can help us with those two."

------------------

**A/N: You know the drill **


	9. Afternoon Tea

_Chapter Nine; Afternoon Tea_

**Chateau Paradizo, France**

Minerva Paradizo sipped her green tea quietly. She looked out over the vast grounds of her home and for a moment felt immense bliss which she could blame on the beauty of the French countryside. But, no matter how much beauty was contained in her homeland, Minerva was restless, almost unhappy. She had seen other places, all beautiful in their own way. She had seen Taiwan, Spain, Italy, and Ireland, which was her personal favourite place in the entire world. At least it would have been if Artemis had been there. She had visited Butler and the Fowl family numerous times over the past three years, but Artemis was never there, and she greatly missed him. In fact she had almost started to believe he was never going to return until she had gotten a phone call a few months ago from the boy genius himself. He had come back and was eager to see her. Minerva wanted more than anything to pick up and go to Ireland on the spot, but she had to be sensible. She would visit Artemis for Christmas, which was only a few months away. They had talked on the phone many times since Artemis had come back from Hybras, and Minerva had noticed something very different. She had a lot to tell Artemis, and he had a lot to tell her. But his stories were all about magic and fairies and took place in one day. She had an entire three years to tell him about. She had come to realize that Artemis, even though biologically eighteen, still seemed to think that he was fifteen. It saddened her that he had lost three years of his life, but maybe, she thought, he will live three years longer than all of us.

Three years ago Minerva had been a different person. She had been young, naïve, and attention-seeking. She was now a level-headed, calm, and caring individual. She had grown up. Minerva had to admit that while researching Artemis' endeavours she had developed a slight crush on him. And their first phone call, well she was trying very hard to sound as intelligent as he. When Artemis had come to rescue her she believed that her heart would always belong to him. However, he disappeared, and did not return for three whole years. Minerva was not that patient, she moved on. And the subject of her moving on was now sitting next to her, drinking imported mineral water, and about to knock her out of thought.

"Minnie darling, are you alright?" Minerva looked up at the boy who was next to her and nodded. He smiled, and it was a beautiful smile.

"You seemed on another planet," the boy said.

"Indeed," Minerva said, "Sorry about that Pierre. I was just thinking about travelling."

"Ahh, and where would my Minnie like to go?"

"La terre des lutins," Minerva laughed, "The land of the leprechauns. I wish to go to Ireland."

Of course Minerva knew that the leprechauns lived underground and were an elite police force, but she would never tell Pierre that information. However, Pierre did look a little disgruntled when she had revealed her desire to travel to Ireland.

"Is that not where your friend Fowl resides?" he asked, sweeping shaggy blond hair away from his chestnut eyes. Pierre may not have been the most intelligent creature on Earth but he knew a thing or two about females. And he knew, from the way she spoke about him, that Minerva cared very deeply for this Artemis character. And there was a slight twinge of jealousy in his stomach every time she mentioned his name, or the fact that he was a genius, or the fact that they had met in Italy.

Of course Pierre did not know that their first formal introduction was when Artemis had saved her from a rather large man and his goons. And that the entire ordeal revolved around demons and fairies.

"Why yes, it is where Artemis lives," Minerva smiled. Then she noticed the tiny flicker of jealousy in Pierre's eyes and she laughed softly, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. "I do hope you aren't thinking that I am in love with Artemis Fowl," she shook her head; "He and I are just friends, like brother and sister. No one is as special to me as my Pierre. Got it?"

Pierre tried hard to keep his scowl, although he couldn't help but to smile. Minerva shook her head again. She decided that it would be best if Pierre met Artemis. He would certainly not feel threatened by the scrawny Irish boy.

"You should accompany me at Christmas," she suggested, "I plan to go visit Artemis. I'm sure he would love to meet you. I tell him many good things about you."

"That sounds good," Pierre nodded after a moment's thought, "I'd like to meet this Artemis Fowl, finally."

"It's settled then. Next time I speak to him I shall tell him you're joining me. His family is quite gracious. You'll feel right at home." Minerva had barely finished speaking when her cell phone rang. She motioned at Pierre that she would only be a moment and answered the call. It was the guard who monitored the gates.

"Miss Paradizo you have a guest," he informed her.

"Oh really," Minerva was pleasantly surprised. She rarely got guests other than Pierre. "Who is it?"

"Master Artemis Fowl."

Minerva's jaw dropped and she instructed the guard to let Artemis in right away and bring him up to the balcony where she and Pierre were. The guard obliged and Minerva hung up. She walked over to Pierre, beaming.

"I guess you won't have to wait until Christmas to meet Artemis," she told him.

------------------

**A/N: Keep reviewing guys. Awesome! I like the next chapter, by the way. Just thought I should let you guys know. Well, I actually like the idea behind it. I have to still write it. **

**XOXO**


	10. Sharing

**A/N: Enjoy. I like this chapter. Hope you do as well.**

----------

_Chapter Ten; Sharing_

**Outside Chateau Paradizo, France**

It would have been an odd sight, for anyone around to see it. Standing on the side of a hill in the French countryside was a pale teenaged boy, two young tots who looked a lot like him, a gigantic mountain of a man, and a short, pointy-eared female. After Foaly had debriefed Butler on the situation, Artemis had informed the group of his plan to leave the twins under Minerva's care.

"She always tells me how much she adores them," Artemis had informed Butler and Holly on the shuttle up to France. "I think she'd be glad to do us this favour."

And there they were, just outside Chateau Paradizo. Holly looked a little bitter. She recalled the last time that she was here, and the fact that Artemis had made her play hostage. Artemis must have sensed what she was feeling because he smirked devilishly.

"Don't worry Holly," he winked, "No hostage taking this time."

"Get out of my head Mud Boy," Holly growled, although it didn't sound all that threatening. Artemis just chuckled softly.

"Right, will do Captain," he said playfully, "Do you know what you have to do?" Holly nodded and activated her wings, rising just over Butler's head. She glanced down at the Mud Folk beneath her and gave them the thumbs up sign.

"Back in a flash," she hollered at them, and then disappeared out of the visible spectrum. Holly's mission was simple enough. Locate Minerva and decide whether or not it was a good idea to contact her at that moment. Holly knew Artemis was quite nervous about seeing the girl again but she had a deep feeling that it wasn't because he wanted to be more than just friends with her. That puzzled her; she really didn't think Artemis to be a nervous person. No, he was calm and collected, even in the face of deadly danger. As she thought about it, the elf circled Chateau Paradizo, having a bird's eye view. And then she spotted locks of blonde hair dancing in the sunlight. Holly brought herself down a bit, to make sure it was Minerva. Sure enough, it was. The girl was sitting on the balcony located on the south side of the house. However, she was not alone.

There was a boy sitting with her, and they were making small talk about the weather. Holly rolled her eyes. After a moment, Minerva fell into a deep silence. Holly stared at her deeply. She recalled how much havoc Minerva had started three years prior. How it was partially Minerva's fault that she had been thrown into a time tunnel. Holly found her hand touching her blue eye and she realized that she didn't really regret her time in Hybras. The elf was knocked out of her thoughts about Hybras as she heard Minerva mention leprechauns. Of course the French girl did not reveal that leprechauns were the fairy police, but she still wondered who this boy was. Holly had made her decision and flew swiftly back to the hill where Artemis was waiting.

As soon as she unshielded, Artemis bombarded her.

"Is it a good time?" he asked. Holly resisted the urge to punch him. For a genius, Artemis could be so annoying at times.

"I guess," Holly said, "She's with some boy. He doesn't seem like a threat though. In fact he seems a bit dense." She laughed softly but stopped when she saw the look on Artemis' face. It was somewhere between disappointment and sadness. She was about to question him, when the boy spoke.

"Alright," he said, "I'll go ask her. Holly would you be so kind as to accompany me to the front door? Butler you stay here with the twins until we get an answer." Butler nodded as Artemis and Holly began to walk towards Chateau Paradizo. There was a silence between the two friends, and a tension so thick one could probably cut it with a knife.

"Why'd you send me up there anyways Artemis?" asked Holly, genuinely not knowing the real answer. Artemis simply shrugged.

"I haven't seen Minerva in a long time," he said, "And I wasn't sure if she had changed or not, you know?" Holly nodded and Artemis continued. "I mean, if she had been working on some large scheme I wouldn't have wanted to interrupt her."

"Right," Holly nodded, mentally making a note never to disturb a genius while they were plotting, "And what was with that look when I mentioned the boy? Do you know who he is?"

"Yes," Artemis replied, a twinge of ice in his voice, "His name is Pierre. He and Minerva are…dating." Holly turned away from Artemis for a moment so she could smirk at the fact that not even he, the great boy genius, could escape feelings of puberty.

"So you like her?" Holly questioned. Artemis shook his head but remained silent. Holly said nothing, her silence was response enough. Artemis knew he had to explain himself. He abruptly sat down on the grass, behind a hill so no eyes from the Chateau would spot him. Holly looked at him quizzically.

"Sit," Artemis instructed. Holly obliged, still looking puzzled. "We're approaching the Chateau," Artemis explained, "You'll have to shield and I have to explain. And personally, I don't want to look as though I'm talking to myself."

"Fair enough," Holly laughed, "So explain."

"Well," Artemis began, "I must admit that I used to have feelings for Minerva, and no matter how much I blamed those feelings on puberty, they were real. She's smart and pretty…and I really liked her. But we disappeared for three years Holly, and any connection we had disappeared as well."

"Artemis…"

"No," the boy held up his hand, "I know you're going to apologize but you shouldn't because it is no one's fault but my own. I don't like her so much anymore, although she still is pretty and extremely intelligent. We've drifted farther apart although we're still close. She considers me the older brother she does not have. And I can not change her mind. I just…I feel so…"

And Artemis Fowl found himself at a loss for words. Holly grabbed his hands and gripped them tightly.

"Do you want me to know how you feel Artemis?" she asked. The Irish boy nodded.

"I want someone to know," he said, "You more than anyone Holly. You're my best friend." Holly nodded and smiled, although she felt a slight twinge of sadness at those words. She brushed it off and held his hands tighter.

"Fine," she said, "So Artemis, I want you to simply feel. Don't hold back your emotions, just let them run wild. Close your eyes, don't say word, and just let them go."

Artemis did so. He had never let his emotions runs so rampant, but he trusted Holly, and he knew that everything he felt was channelling straight into her mind, into her heart. And Holly felt it as well. She felt Artemis' grief, desire, despair, jealousy, and even nervousness. She let go of his hands and the two felt as though they had run into an invisible brick wall. Artemis looked at Holly, but not right into her eyes. He was a little scared of what her reaction would be. Holly just smiled and threw her arms around Artemis, hugging him tightly. He embraced her back.

"Don't worry," she said, "There are plenty of girls in the world. I'm sure someone else is currently planning how to get around Butler and catch the attention of the infamous Artemis Fowl."

Artemis smiled. "Thank you Holly."

The elf smiled back. "Now," she said, "Get back to work and go find us a babysitter."

"Right, the brats," Artemis snickered.

"They take after their big brother."

Artemis shook off the insult and continued to the gate of Chateau Paradizo, Holly fluttering, shielded over his shoulder, watching out for him. Just like a guardian angel.

---------

**A/N: Hope you liked it. I had fun writing it, although I was trying very hard to make it sound un-lame. Hope I succeeded. Reviews are pretty. **


	11. Retrieval

_Chapter Eleven; Retrieval_

**Section Eight HQ**

Foaly paced his office nervously. He could barely comprehend what was happening. After several deep, calming breaths, Foaly recalled that he had promised the Commander a return phone call. He composed himself and called Commander Kelp. Trouble answered almost instantly, his face a mask of calm. But that was all it was, simply a mask. Foaly could see, in his eyes, that the Commander was nervous. The centaur figured that the first sensible thing to do would be to assure the Commander that everything was under control.

"First of all sir," Foaly put on his best confident smile, "Everything will be resolved. Holly has agreed to help out with this one. Artemis Fowl has as well."

"Right, okay," Trouble waved his hand as if to hurry Foaly along, "But what are we dealing with?"

Foaly explained the entire scenario to him, basically repeating what he had told Holly and Artemis. At the end of Foaly's tale, a lump grew in Trouble's throat. He, like Holly, had grown up listening to this legend but had never believed it. However, Trouble could not argue with facts, especially facts presented to him by Foaly.

"Alright Foaly," said the Commander, "I'm giving you full control with this mission. I want the witch stopped. I want damage to be minimal, meaning no on in Haven finds out, because if they do they'll either think we're crazy or we'll have a huge civil outbreak. So this is hush-hush. Also, I want you to keep an eye on things underground for me, just for a little while."

"Where are you going to go?" asked Foaly.

"Aboveground, to help out," Trouble said bravely, "Not yet though. First I want to meet the little girl responsible for this. Have you got and ID yet?"

"Yepp," Foaly nodded happily, "Her name is Arielle Oakes, forty-two years old, good girl. Her brother has been in a bit of trouble with the LEP before, nothing major, just some stupid offences here and there. But I don't know about her. Her record says she's a very intelligent, very level-headed young lady."

"Any intelligent young lady wouldn't set evil loose, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Alright, do you have an address? I'll bring her in."

"No need Commander," Foaly smirked, "I already have two of my…officers on the case. You just come down to Section Eight."

**Downtown Haven**

Doodah Day pounded the breaks on the company van and the vehicle skidded to a stop. He exited the car, smirking at his passenger.

"Come on Diggums," he said, "We've got business to do."

"I hate you," Mulch mumbled as he got out of the car, glad that his feet were touching ground again. In his opinion, Doodah was a horrible driver, no matter what anyone said. He went too fast and never obeyed any road rules. It surprised Mulch that he was actually considering the rules. He had been spending way too much time with Holly and Foaly. Okay, maybe not Holly, she wasn't one for rules, but he definitely needed a break from Foaly.

"Sure Mulch," Doodah laughed, "You're just jealous. And besides, I think I owe you a couple of wild rides, what with you nearly devouring me and all."

"Whatever," Mulch muttered, "Let's just get the girl and get back to Section Eight."

"Yeah, Foaly seemed pretty jittery. I guess this is important."

It was Mulch's turn to laugh, "Foaly? That centaur is afraid of his own shadow." Doodah could do nothing but shrug his shoulders. He knew it was true. As they spoke the two odd creatures approached a house. It was a cute little home, painted white with tiny windows and green curtains. Mulch motioned for Doodah to go ahead of him. 

"Why me?" Doodah hissed, "For all we know this girl could be viciously insane."

"Because you're less intimidating than me," Mulch said happily, "And you're disposable." At this remark Doodah shot Mulch a dirty look. The dwarf looked unaffected. "Just ring the bell," he ordered. Doodah did so and a charitable looking elf answered the door. Doodah smiled a large smile.

"Hello," he said, "Is Arielle home?"

The elf smiled back, "And can I ask who you are?" This woman was clearly Arielle's mother. Doodah nodded in response to her question.

"I'm a friend," he said, "Name's Chip." If there was one thing that Doodah had learned from his three years working alone with Mulch, it was to never give out your real name. Just in case.

"Alright, just a second Chip." The elf closed the door and Doodah waited. Mulch took this as his opportunity to meet up with his partner. A moment or so later the door opened again and a younger version of the charitable woman stood in front of Mulch and Doodah.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Are you Arielle?" asked Mulch. The girl nodded, almost unwillingly. She had a bad feeling about where this was going.

"We need to talk to you," Doodah informed her, "Something bad happened."

Arielle's eyes went wide. This could not be happening to her. "Am I in trouble?"

"That all depends."

----------

**A/N: Yeah, didn't so much like this one. Hoping you don't hate it. I just have a few loose ends to tie up and then we can get back to the good story line. Don't hate me.**


	12. A Favour Asked

**A/N: Okay, so HLA brought up a very good point about Foaly not being one for rules either so I apologize for being a bit off with Mulch's opinion of Foaly. Thanks again to all of you who read this, it really means a lot. Enjoy.**

-----------------

_Chapter Twelve; A Favour Asked_

**Chateau Paradizo, France**

The guard did as he was instructed and escorted Artemis upstairs, where Minerva and Pierre had entered the parlour to greet him. Of course Holly could not accompany him, as she did not have an invitation, so she simply hovered outside on the balcony where the couple had been moments before. As she waited, Artemis was busy seeing Minerva face to face for the first time in three years. As he stepped into the room, the blonde girl's face cracked into a large smile. She ran up to him and flung her arms around him.

"Artemis," she screeched, "It's so wonderful to see you!" The boy smiled into Minerva's shoulder. Butler had been right; she had grown into quite the beautiful young lady. But she had someone else; someone named Pierre, who was glaring at Artemis with narrowed eyes. Artemis removed his arms from Minerva and outstretched his hand to the French boy.

"Hello, you must be Pierre," he said, "Pleased to meet you. My name is Artemis. Minerva has told me much about you." Pierre raised an eyebrow at Artemis, only slightly, and took his hand, shaking it curtly.

"It's a pleasure," Pierre replied. Artemis could hear the fake sincerity in his voice. _Wonderful_, he thought, _all I need is another enemy_. Minerva seemed to not notice the subtle hatred that Pierre harboured towards Artemis because she continued to smile.

"How have you been doing Artemis?" Minerva asked happily. The Irish boy shrugged.

"Pretty well I suppose. Life has been quiet since I've returned from my…vacation. Except for the twins; there is not one way to keep them silent." Minerva laughed and even Pierre gave a little smirk. He had a little sister of his own and he knew how terrible siblings could be.

"And, how is Holly?" Minerva asked, "I hope she's still well." Artemis nodded and smiled.

"She's very well," he answered, "In fact I believe she'd love to pay you a visit one day." The pale boy winked and after a single moment of confusion Minerva got the hint. She smiled.

"Well Holly is welcome inside the Chateau at any time she pleases." Holly, who had been listening the entire time through the open balcony door, smiled and flew into the house. She was quite glad to be inside as the storm clouds were building around the Chateau. Holly hovered just over Artemis' left shoulder. Minerva rested her eyes upon Holly for a split second and gave a slight wink, and then she turned back to Artemis.

"So, what is the real reason Artemis Fowl has graced me with his presence?"

"I can not come to just say hello?" he asked innocently. Holly almost snorted. Artemis could barely pull off innocent. It was clear that he had a hidden agenda. Minerva herself pretended not to notice and the small talk continued for another little while. Holly was growing somewhat impatient when finally Pierre looked out the window, gazing at the ominous grey clouds.

"Minnie dear," he said, getting up from his chair, "I really should be on my way. The rain is coming, and I have to be home soon."

"Oh," Minerva sighed, "It's a shame you have to leave so soon. I'll walk you out." She stood as well and Artemis took that as his cue to say goodbye. He stood and shook hands with Pierre again.

"It was very nice meeting you," he forced a big smile, "It would be wonderful if you join Minerva at Christmas for her trip to Fowl Manor." Pierre nodded and he and Minerva exited the room.

"Be back in a moment Artemis!" Minerva called from halfway down the hall. As soon as she was sure that the humans were out of view, Holly materialised, sitting on the chair in front of Artemis. She did not look very amused. Artemis smirked.

"Problem Captain?" he asked.

"That was potentially the most useless half hour of my life," Holly retorted, her lips tight.

"Yes, well we all thank you for that sacrifice," Artemis smirked.

"It doesn't matter Mud Boy," Holly said, "Are you sure this is safe though?"

"Pardon?" Artemis looked puzzled at the question.

"Well, I must say that I am a little sceptical that Minerva has completely gotten over her fairy phase."

"You'll be fine, I assure you Captain Short," a voice sounded from the doorway. Holly and Artemis turned around and saw Minerva standing there, watching them. Holly slightly flushed. Although she somewhat disliked the Mud Girl, Holly had not wanted her to hear her doubts. Ever the friendly one, Holly mumbled an apology. Minerva nodded.

"I expected as much," she said, "As I was the cause of a lot of problems three years ago. I believe it is I who owes you another apology." It was Holly's turn to nod. There was a moment of silence, broken by Artemis, being all business-like.

"Yes, I must say sorry about the unexpected drop in Minerva," the boy said.

"It was in no way a problem," Minerva smiled, "It is amazing to see you again after so long."

"Right," Artemis smiled, "But I didn't just drop in to say hello."

"Again, I expected as much," Minerva stated, "So why have you come?"

Holly and Artemis launched into the tale of what had happened in Greece and how the People were potentially at the hands of a deadly enemy. Minerva took in all the details, her face void of emotion the entire time. She reminded Holly of Artemis when he was her truly a young teenager. After their story, Minerva took one more second to absorb all that had been told to her and she pursed her lips.

"So, how can I help?" she asked eagerly.

"I'd been wondering if you could watch the twins for Butler and I while we assist the fairies."

Minerva looked slightly put out. She had been expected Artemis to ask her to accompany him on an adventure. She had, after all, missed the last one. However, as Minerva looked at Artemis, she could tell that he would really appreciate this favour. And from the look on Holly's face, she would too.

"Alright, I'll do it," Minerva nodded, "Are they here?"

"Just outside with Butler," Holly said, "Artemis how about you call them and tell them to come on up?"

"Yes, and I'll call the guard and tell him to let them in."

"Excellent," Artemis said.

About fifteen minutes later, all was said and done, and it was time for goodbyes. Holly and Butler, who had already bid everyone farewell, stood off to the side watching Artemis kneeling down to his little brothers.

"You're going to stay here with Minerva," he told them, "You behave for her, okay?"

Connor and Brailey nodded. "But where are you going Arty?"

"I have to help Holly with something, as does Butler. We'll be back before you know it." He hugged each of the boys and Holly couldn't help but smile. Butler glanced up at her and she shrugged.

"And Minerva," Artemis turned towards the girl, "Thank you so much. I'll be sure to keep you updated."

"Good luck Artemis," she said, hugging him. After a moment, the teens broke apart and Artemis joined Butler and Holly, who waved goodbye. Holly, who quite liked the Fowl twins, quickly hopped over to them and ruffled their hair as she did the first time they had met. Each of the boys hugged one of Holly's legs.

"Bye bye Shorty!" they said to her. Holly laughed and bid the boys goodbye one last time, before she exited the house, right behind Butler and Artemis.

It was time for another adventure to begin.

---------

**A/N: Hope you liked it guys. Woooot! **


	13. Life And Death

_Chapter Thirteen; Life And Death_

**Greece**

After she had disappeared from the Parthenon, Celestia travelled through the shadows to a small village just outside of Athens. She stood on a low hill, gazing over the village and was somewhat confused. All the dwellings seemed to be made by humans, as they were in no way the proper size for fairy folk. Celestia was eager to find a fairy so that her plan of revenge could be launched, and the lack of fairy homes was tugging on her nerves. Celestia thought for a moment and then an evil smirk spread across her pallid face. Celestia waved her hands through the air a few times as bright red sparks of magic played about her fingers. She set the sparks down on the ground and whispered out one single word.

"Gylmyne."

In a moment's time the red sparks disappeared into the ground and Celestia waited impatiently. Gylmyne was her royal advisor, and probably one of the only friends she ever had. He had not been imprisoned with the queen and had gone on to live long and die at a ripe old age. If anyone could explain what had happened to Earth, Gylmyne could. Very suddenly, a small fissure appeared at Celestia's feet. The elfin queen stood up and smiled as an ancient looking sprite was transported through the fissure in a cradle of red sparks. As the sparks disappeared the sprite coughed and years of dirt were shaken from his slender frame. He looked up, rather grudgingly at whoever had disturbed his eternal rest and his bright green eyes grew wide.

"Your Highness," he mumbled, clumsily bowing to the youthful figure who stood in front of him.

"Good evening Gylmyne," Celestia smirked, "I can see the years have not been very nice to you." Now, Gylmyne was quite a vein sprite, and no one would get away with insulting his looks. Well, almost no one. Queen Celestia was an exception. Not only was she much more beautiful than he, but she was also much more powerful. And besides, there was something sinister glinting in the elf's eyes which told Gylmyne to chuckle politely, which he did.

"You are quite right my Queen," he muttered, "But it is quite the contrary for you." 

"Ever the charmer," she replied, "But forget this nonsense we speak about. I have quite an important inquiry."

"Yes?" Gylmyne was eager to hear the Queen's question and provide her with a wonderful answer. Perhaps he would be able to keep his position of royal advisor, that is if Celestia decided to keep him alive.

"I am wondering," said the Queen, "Why all of these dwellings are those of humans. I see no fairy homes. It is as if they have died off. Which really would be a shame; I did have a wonderful plan of revenge."

Gylmyne gulped nervously. The Queen did not have any knowledge of the Mud Men taking over. Gylmyne knew all about that though. He had been alive. He had fought. He had died shortly after the final battle, of natural causes. As the sprite thought about his reply he felt the Queen wearing him down with her sharp eyes.

"Your Majesty," he said in a small voice, "It is quite a story, perhaps one that will not please you." Celestia narrowed her eyes at her advisor which was his signal to keep talking. Gylmyne took a deep breath and gave a quick summary of all the events that had led up to the rebellion.

"And the humans pushed our folk underground. We've lived there ever since." Gylmyne finished his story and looked timidly at the enraged figure before him. Celestia was silent although inside her a battle of emotions raged.

"The humans will pay as well then," she resolved, "And I will rule over all species, not just the fairies. Good."

"My Queen," Gylmyne said, "I must impress upon you that the world is not like it used to be. Even before my death the worlds were changing, growing. I can only imagine what they are like now. It is perhaps, not a very good idea to fight alone."

Celestia smiled at the sprite. "I'm sorry my dear Gylmyne, but I am in charge here and I must say that I do not like to be interrupted."

"Yes, of course Queen Celestia, but…" 

"No!" Celestia snapped, "It was I who brought you back to life, and I can kill you as well." She snapped her fingers and the life was snapped right out of Gylmyne's body. Of course it was only artificial life that held him together. It was much more difficult to kill one who had never been dead. His body disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Celestia glanced down at her fingers.

"I've still got it," she cackled. Of course she meant her magic as well as her very short temper. She looked over the village and remembered that the humans had to pay as well.

"Where to begin?" she mused aloud. Celestia thought back to her ancient days on Earth and recalled a place where she had loved as a young elf.

With a swish of her cloak, the malicious female was off to one of her favourite places above the ground. The beautiful and timeless, France.

------------

**A/N: Blah, a little boring but I hope you all don't mind. Cheers.**


	14. A Simple Truth

_Chapter Fourteen; A Simple Truth_

**Section Eight HQ**

Mulch and Doodah proceeded down the hallway towards Foaly's office followed by a very scared Arielle. The girl knew exactly what was going on; this definitely had something to do with the whole enchantment thing in the Parthenon. She deeply hoped that the LEP would believe her when she told them it was an accident. But then she remembered that she was nowhere near Police Plaza and a whole new level of fear set in. Where was she? As she wondered, her odd companions had led her to the end of the hallway and Mulch opened the door, leading the trio in to the room. Arielle looked around and she was stunned. Inside sat a centaur and the Commander of the LEP.

"This is her," Doodah said. He nudged Arielle in the back and she slightly stumbled into the room. That was his favourite part of law enforcement, being able to play the tough guy. Arielle looked up at the only relatively familiar face she saw in the room, which was that of Trouble Kelp.

"Commander," she muttered, "What did I do?" Trouble looked at the young elf in front of him and decided that today, he would play good cop. He smiled softly.

"Arielle, we just want to know what happened in Greece. Care to tell?"

"Well, you see…" Arielle stuttered over her words, unsure what to say. However she knew that the truth was the only way out of here and so she explained everything that had happened during her time in the Parthenon, not leaving out a single detail. At the end of it all there were mixed reactions from all the occupants of the room. Mulch and Doodah looked rather sceptical as this was their first time hearing the magical tale. Foaly was barely phased as he had already watched the footage a dozen and one times and had practically memorized it. Commander Kelp looked calm but when he spoke, he spoke in a voice of urgency.

"Well Foaly?" he said, "What do you think?" Arielle guessed that Foaly was the centaur as the half horse, half man, bit his lip and stood up. He walked over to Arielle, looking down on her slightly.

"It was definitely an accident," he nodded. Arielle felt a wave of relief sweep through her. Someone believed her. She almost felt ecstatic. Then, the centaur looked at her.

"Arielle," he spoke firmly and slowly, "I think you should stay here with us."

"What?" Arielle's eyes went wide, "Why?"

"Because," Foaly said, "We don't know everything about this legend yet and we may need you further down the line. You're not in any sort of trouble," he smiled, "We just may need to hear your story again. Is that alright?"

Arielle thought about it for a moment and then she nodded. There was no point in arguing with the centaur; or any other occupant of the room for that matter.

"Excellent," Foaly grinned.

"I'm guessing the questioning went well." The door closed behind Holly as she made her statement.

"That it did Captain, that it did," said the Commander.

"Did you get the kids out the way?" Foaly asked, trying to peek around Butler's massive leg to see if the two Irish twins were hiding. Artemis saw all of this and chuckled.

"My brothers are miles above us Foaly, safe and cared for in France" he said, "No need to worry about them."

This had all been very weird for Arielle. First this weird building, and then two Mud Men underground. It was turning out to be a very odd day. But there was something familiar about this Mud Boy. It was his pale skin and vampire-like smile that seemed to strike something within Arielle. She had seen this Mud Boy before…

"You're Artemis Fowl," she pointed at him from the corner of the room which she had retreated to. The Mud Boy smiled at her and she felt a slight shiver run down her back. He was quite intimidating for a human; although that was nothing compared to the giant man who stood over his shoulder. Arielle mentally decided to never speak to the Mud Man if she could help it.

"Why yes I am," Artemis smirked, "And you my dear elf are the cause to all these problems I presume."

"Artemis, be civil."

The warning had come from the short-haired elf still standing at the door. Arielle recognized her too. That was Holly Short, the first female officer in Recon history, and one of Arielle's personal heroes. At that thought, Arielle flushed deeply. She had unwillingly caused problems for her hero.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. All the eyes in the room, which had been looking at Artemis, now turned to Arielle. No one spoke except Holly, who smiled.

"We all make mistakes," she said, with a slight glance at Artemis. The Irish boy cringed slightly and Holly just smiled again. "And besides," she laughed, "I haven't been on a real adventure in three years."

--------------------

**A/N: Again, very boring, but I'm trying to tie up all my loose ends and get on with the real plot. I hope this was the last boring chapter. Please forgive me. I also know absolutely nothing about police questionings, so sorry if I was a bit (or a lot) off. Hugs and kisses.**

**-Liv**


	15. Attack

_Chapter Fifteen; Attack_

**Southern France**

Pierre had always possessed a great love for the outdoors and an even greater love for physical activity, which was why he had decided to walk to Minerva's that morning and, consequently, walk back home. Pierre had decided to take a short cut through a small ravine behind a secluded village. As Pierre travelled home he could not help but to think of his meeting with Artemis Fowl. Pierre smirked. Artemis was definitely no competition for him. The scrawny boy looked like a vampire, and Pierre was almost certain that he could be just as charming as one of the undead creatures. _He wasn't all that bad though,_ Pierre thought to himself.

The boy continued to walk, hopping over a fallen tree trunk. _He is quite intelligent though, _Pierre mused, _And Minnie is almost his equal. Perhaps if she one day decides that all she wants is brains, I may be in some hot water. But brains are one thing, that Fowl is in no way a charmer. So…condescending. I wonder if the poor boy has any real friends. Well there is that Holly person that Minerva mentioned. Maybe that is one of his friends. Or maybe it is his girlfriend. Hopefully. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about Fowl outsmarting me. No, I bet I don't even have to worry about that now. He has book smarts; I bet he knows nothing about girls. Perhaps I could teach the great genius something. Wouldn't that be a story to tell?_

Pierre's internal conversation was cut short by a loud clap of thunder. The teenager looked up at the black clouds that were now covering the sky. Pierre did not mind the rain at all; in fact he found it soothing. However, thunder was another story. There was a certain something about Mother Nature's fury that scared Pierre. Although scared was putting it quite lightly. Terrified would do the feeling much more justice. Pierre looked away from the sky and closed his deep brown eyes, willing the storm away. Of course it did not work so he took a large gulp of air into his lungs and began the rest of the walk home.

"Only another fifteen minutes," he muttered to no one other than his lonely self. Pierre continued along the desolate path, this time a bit quicker, wanting nothing more than to be safe at home with a nice cup of cocoa. He was walking for only three and something odd minutes when he heard hurried footsteps somewhere behind him. Pierre froze immediately and sharply looked around. There was nothing, absolutely nothing to see except dozens of evergreen trees. However, there was something to hear.

A low, shallow breathing echoed through the trees. Of course the sound was barely audible for anyone not listening, but Pierre was nervous and his senses were heightened. He sharply turned around.

"Is anyone there?" he asked, his voice barely quivering. Pierre received no answer, not even shallow breathing. The boy composed himself and took one simple step to turn and continue home but as he turned he bumped into someone. This someone was rather pretty, even with the severe looking features. Pierre stumbled backwards a few steps and then looked up into the eyes of the female he had stumbled upon. He was shocked at what he saw. Her eyes looked like huge amethysts stuck on her pale face. Pierre straightened up immediately and put on his best charming smile, masking wonderfully the fear he felt as the thunder continued to rumble.

"I'm terribly sorry Madame," he said sincerely, "I'm in quite a rush to get out of the rain." 

"It is alright," the girl replied. There was something in her voice that Pierre could not quite place but he did not like it all that much. He smiled once more and attempted to pass her. The girl stuck out her arm and rested her palm against Pierre's chest. The boy found that he could not move and the thought of not being in control of his own body scared him more than thunder. Pierre attempted once more to push past the woman, but could not manage.

"You are going nowhere human," she smirked. Pierre, through his fear, felt a twinge of confusion. Human? What was this girl playing at?

"I'd like to know," she continued, "What happened to my beautiful France since the last time I was here."

Pierre was utterly bewildered. The girl holding him looked no older than twenty-five so she could not have possibly been out of France for long. Nothing drastic had changed in the past twenty-five years.

"Well," Pierre muttered, "The Louvre got a new entrance." Confusion spread across this odd woman's face, quickly replaced by annoyance.

"Tell me," she requested, "What is this Louvre?"

Pierre raised an eyebrow at her. He felt very uncomfortable and didn't exactly know how to react to someone who had never heard of the Louvre. He opened his mouth to attempt an explanation when something incredible caught his eye.

"Your ears," he gasped, "They're pointy." He paused for an eternal moment, "Who the hell are you?"

"I am called Celestia. I am the Queen of the Fairy Folk. Or, I was until I was banished. And you human! Your kind pushed my people underground. You shall be the first to pay for your mistakes!"

For a fleeting moment, Pierre had believed that he fell and hit his head on a rock, a very large rock. But this belief only lasted a moment as he felt the hand that was gripping him turn to ice. Pierre felt the icy chill spread through his entire body. He looked down at his hands, where icicles had formed on his fingertips. The cold became all too much and Pierre felt reality slipping away to black slowly. He fell slowly to the ground, almost frozen to the bone.

Celestia smiled happily. Humans had a taste of revenge, and now they could wait for the rest. It was time to find a fairy.

Not to far off, maybe about a ten minute jog, the rain was pounding against Chateau Paradizo as Minerva and the Fowl twins snacked on some cookies. Minerva was waiting for Pierre's phone call to signal that he had arrived safely at home. At that moment, she had no idea that the phone call which she was waiting for would never come.

--------------

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. Keep reviewing. Cheers! Also I know I stated that Celestia is an elf, but she is able to restrain a teenage human, and Pierre never mentions her height. That'll all be explained, in case you were wondering.**


	16. The Best Aim

_Chapter Sixteen; The Best Aim_

**Section Eight HQ**

Waiting was never the easy part of any important task, but that was what our group of heroes had to do. They sat, waiting to hear of any odd occurrence that would give away Celestia's whereabouts. After fifteen minutes of almost complete and awkward silence, Holly had gotten bored and wandered off somewhere else, followed by Artemis who was curious about something. As Holly exited the room and headed towards the cafeteria to grab something to drink she noticed that the boy was following her. She turned around halfway down the hallway and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why are you following me Artemis?" she asked, "Please don't tell me the twins have rubbed off on you and you've reverted to playing childish games." A slight grin played upon her lips as an expression of annoyance flashed across Artemis' face.

"Hardly," he retorted, "I simply want to question your behaviour earlier."

"Huh?"

"When you were telling that Arielle person that everyone makes mistakes I do recall you looking up, directly at me. I would love to question why, seeing as how I thought that by now, you would have realized I am a different person."

"You are quite a character Mud Boy," Holly laughed and continued down the hallway to a flight a stairs leading down.

"Are you not going to answer my question?" asked Artemis.

"How about over a drink?" Holly replied with her own question. Artemis sighed and nodded, catching up with Holly as she began to descend the stairs. They reached the cafeteria and Holly purchased two bottles of water from a vending machine. The elf and her unlikely companion sat down at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria. Holly opened her water and took a large gulp.

"So Mud Boy," she smirked, "Repeat your question."

"Well, in simple terms, do you really believe I've changed?"

There was something in Artemis' voice that made Holly feel a pang of guilt in her gut. Of course he had changed, but he had also kidnapped her and anytime she could insert a remark or a dirty look about said kidnapping, she openly accepted the opportunity. But maybe it was time to stop.

"Sorry Artemis," she muttered, "I was just teasing. I know you've become a decent person."

"Mostly," Artemis grinned.

"Right," Holly laughed, "Mostly."

A short pause fell into the conversation as Artemis took a sip of his water and smiled inwardly at its cleanliness. He then looked up at Holly.

"I want to thank you again," he said, "For before, in France. You really helped me accept what I was feeling. I owe you one Holly."

"No worries Artemis," she said, "I know you better than anyone…I think. It was my job to help you out."

Artemis raised a slender eyebrow at the elf. "You know," he said, "Now that you have outwardly revealed that you know me better than most I must tell you I could possibly consider you a threat."

"Oh, is that so?" Holly rolled her eyes.

"Indeed," Artemis chuckled.

"So am I safe to assume that I can also consider you a threat?" asked Holly.

"I believe so, Captain Short, I believe so."

"Well in that case, a toast!" Holly raised her water bottle and Artemis followed suit.

"And what are we toasting?"

"Only the closest of friendships," Holly smiled. Artemis nodded and tapped his bottle against hers. The two gulped down the last drops of their water and laughed.

"So," Artemis said casually, tossing his water bottle into a trashcan at the table opposite, "Do you think we can beat her?"

"Of course," Holly nodded, "And your aim has improved."

"Thank you."

"Of course, mine is still better."

At that, Holly crumpled up her bottle and sent it sailing through the air, landing in a trashcan several meters away. Artemis smiled.

"Your aim will always be better Holly," he said, pulling out a golden disk from his pocket. Holly recalled when she had given that to him, right after the Arctic Incident. She smiled inwardly. He still had it, and for some reason she knew that he would always carry it with him.

"Glad you've learned that Fowl," she remarked. Artemis laughed softly again and Holly couldn't help but feel something in her heart. Artemis, in all the time she had known him, had barely ever laughed. He rarely even cracked a smile. There was something different about him, and Holly liked it very much. Artemis must have noticed her staring at him because he shot her a quizzical look.

"A penny for your thoughts."

"I was just wondering something," Holly mumbled.

"If it has anything to do with my sudden display of emotion I can explain that quite quickly. Less than eight words I believe."

"Alright, shoot."

"I feel completely comfortable around you Holly."

"Seven words," Holly grinned, "You're good."

"I know."

He looked up at her and their eyes met, locked for several moments. Both human and elf felt completely enchanted. Holly was the first to break the gaze when she began to feel as though Artemis' eyes were x-raying her soul.

"Maybe we should go see if Foaly has any leads," she suggested. Artemis looked slightly put out for a moment, but then it was gone and he nodded. The two friends made their way back to the centaur's office where they found Foaly explaining some complicated weaponry to Butler, who was nodding politely, not really caring about what the centaur had to say.

"Where are Trouble and Arielle?" asked Holly. Foaly looked up from his computer and stopped talking to Butler.

"He took her out for a walk," he replied, "She needed some air."

"Alright then, so have we got anything yet?" asked Holly. She approached Foaly, passing Butler who mouthed the words 'thank you' to her.

"Nothing yet," Foaly responded, "But it's only a matter of time."

Suddenly, a fast beeping noise could be heard throughout the office. Holly pulled her communicator off of her belt and looked at it, then, confused, looked at Artemis.

"It's you," she said. Artemis looked at the communicator. Then at his hand. His ring was gone, and he had a sneaking suspicion about who had taken it.

"Answer it," he instructed, "I think it's important."

---------------

**A/N: Hope you liked it. I tried to make it funny. Hope I succeeded. Cheers!**

**P.S; I recently posted a one-shot. It's called Just One Question, if you're interested. Awesome. **


	17. Of Robots and Running

_Chapter Seventeen; __Of Robots and Running _

**Chateau Paradizo, France**

The rain had begun falling from the sky in buckets only moments after Artemis had left. Minerva sighed deeply, wandering away from the front door and into the adjacent living room, where the twins had discovered the television. She smiled at the sight of the two young Fowl boys, laughing without a care at the antics of some children's show.

"Boys would you like a snack?" she asked. Brailey was the first to draw his eyes away from the screen and look at Minerva. He nodded vigorously.

"Can we have cookies?" Connor asked, also looking away from the television.

"Of course," Minerva smiled, "Follow me." The boys obeyed and picked themselves up off the floor, following Minerva to the kitchen. Once there, the girl proceeded to open a few cupboards and shuffle around the various snacks in there.

"How does chocolate chip sound?"

The boys clapped their approval and Minerva placed some cookies out on a plate, poured three tall glasses of milk, and joined the boys at the kitchen table.

"Thanks Auntie Minerva," beamed Brailey. Minerva laughed softly and took a bite of her cookie.

"They're yummy, right Auntie?" asked Connor. The blonde girl nodded and smiled a large smile. She had earned the nickname Auntie Minerva over dinner one night at the Fowl Manor. She had asked for the salt, and Angeline had asked Connor to pass 'Auntie Minerva' the salt shaker. The nickname had stuck, and it certainly pleased Minerva.

The trio continued to munch on their snack and twins began to talk amongst themselves about things such as robots and trucks. The subjects sparked no interest in Minerva but she had other things on her mind anyways. The rain had progressed into thunder and lightning, which she knew that Pierre greatly disliked. She hoped he had reached home by now, but knew that was not a possibility; he always called. A nagging worry was eating away at her stomach until she finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Auntie Minerva, are you alright?"

Minerva was knocked out of her stupor by the Fowl twins, staring at her with concern. She forced a smile.

"I'm fine boys," she lied, "However; I need to go investigate something. Come with me for a moment."

The boys, who had finished their cookies in mere moments, followed the girl again, back to the living room. She turned the television back on and powered up the DVD player, putting on some movie about robots for the boys to watch.

"My brother simply loves this movie," she told them, "You watch it and then you two and Beau can discuss it when he returns." Mister Paradizo and Beau had gone for a short vacation in the Swiss Alps. Minerva had elected to stay behind as she didn't so much enjoy the cold air of the mountains.

The twins nodded and Minerva left them, quickly hopped upstairs, running to her room, knocking on a door as she did so. Before Minerva could take one more step, the door which she had knocked on flew open. A tall, agile looking man stood in the frame. This was her security guard, Mister Jake Lathanel.

"Can I help you Miss Paradizo?" he asked. Perhaps security guard was a bit of an exaggeration. Minerva had no desire for security after the incident with Billy Kong. So she had made her father hire this man, simply to watch over the cameras in the house and call the police if necessary. Of course, all the proper background checks had been done prior to his being hired.

"The Fowl twins are downstairs," Minerva spoke fast, "Just keep an eye on them. I have to step out for a moment."

Without a further word, knowing that Jake would do what she asked, Minerva bounded to her room, fetched a jacket and then rushed out of the house, running down the long, winding driveway leading away from the Chateau. At the gate, the guard looked at her like she was mental.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Nowhere of importance to you," she snapped, "I'll be back in a little while."

And with that, Minerva was off again, running like the very devil was chasing her. She quickly found the rarely travelled path that she knew Pierre had taken home. He often brought her there when they were alone to talk. Minerva ran down the path, begging, praying that she would follow it all the way to Pierre's house and find him safely at home.

Her prays ended abruptly as she saw a figure laying on the floor, completely still. Cautiously, Minerva approached the figure, a male, and looked into his face.

"Oh mon Dieu," she gasped. There, on the forest floor, was her Pierre, encased in a thin layer of ice, his features looking sickly with a twinge of blue. Hypothermia was nearly set in. Perhaps Pierre would have already been dead if it had not been for one small factor.

Maybe Celestia forgot, or maybe she never knew, but warm water does melt ice, and thankfully for the young French boy, lukewarm water fell in drops from the sky. The ice around his body slowly melted and Minerva took notice of this fact. She decided to speed up the process, using her own body heat to warm Pierre. Eventually enough ice melted away so the boy was light enough for Minerva to drag back to the Chateau. Once she reached the gate she ordered the guard to help her bring him to the house. Inside, Minerva instructed Jake to prepare him a warm cup of tea. It certainly amazed Minerva that she could be so calm in a time of terror. However, as soon as Pierre was safe upstairs, the calm completely abandoned her and a wave of tears fell from her twinkling blue eyes. Minerva sat at the foot of the staircase and cried over what could have been.

The Fowl twins had watched the whole episode from the living room and slowly, carefully approached Minerva, sitting on either side of her. Upon looking at the twins, a thought instantly sprung into her head. Artemis. Perhaps the story he and Holly had told her earlier had something to do with this attack. If that was so then…

Then they were all in grave danger.

Minerva pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialled Artemis' mobile immediately. She received only a recorded message about the customer being out of the service area. Of course there was no service! He was hundreds of meters below the ground. Minerva, very frustrated, threw her cell phone to the ground, a fresh wave of tears overtaking her eyes.

"Minerva," Brailey spoke timidly, "Are you okay?"

Minerva nodded slowly, trying to brush away her tears. Connor looked at her sideways and fished something out of his pocket.

"If you want to talk to Arty, you should try this," he shoved a ring in Minerva's face and for a moment she had no idea what was going on. Then she recalled Artemis mentioned how he and Holly stayed in touch; a fairy communicator disguised as a ring. It only took a few seconds for Minerva to figure out how it worked, and within moments she was nearly sure she had called Holly Short.

Her guesses were confirmed by a bewildered voice in her ear, which sound much like the elfin Captain.

"Holly? Holly is that you?" she asked, frantically hoping that it was.

"Of course it's me. Who is this?"

"Minerva. Let me speak to Artemis."

"Hold on Mud Girl," Holly muttered. There was brief shuffling and then Minerva heard Holly telling someone to link her up to the main feed.

"Minerva? Are you alright? Are the twins okay?" This question came from Artemis and Minerva had guessed that the main feed had made her heard by all the occupants of the room.

"Yes, yes I'm fine," she replied, "Well, mostly. Listen Artemis, all of you listen. I think I may have found your sorceress."

There was a shocked silence on the other end. Finally Holly spoke.

"Explain," she ordered.

Minerva did just that and as she told the story of Pierre's odd state no one, human, elf, or centaur, could possibly comprehend what they were about to get themselves into.

--------------

**A/N: Hope you liked it. And I also hope it wasn't happening too fast. Forgive me if you think so. Cheers.**


	18. Saying Goodbye

**A/N: Alright, so Minerva is a bit out of character in this story. Sorry if that bothers you guys. Anywhoo, on with the chapter.**

---------------

_Chapte__r__Eighteen; Saying Goodbye_

**Section 8 HQ**

It was Foaly who terminated the connection with Minerva and turned to his companions.

"This," he spoke solemnly, "Is not good." No one spoke, but they all shared the same thought. Foaly was right. Artemis slowly stepped over to a chair and sat himself down. He could figure this out; there was absolutely no doubt about it.

"Why would she attack a human?" asked Holly.

After a moments thought, realization dawned on Foaly's face. "Because," he said, "There are no fairies aboveground. Humans are the only thing she can attack. She obviously wants revenge for her imprisonment, and if the legends are right, she won't stop until she finds a fairy and…"

He didn't need to say anything else; it was obvious.

"What is her weakness?"

Everyone turned to look at Artemis who had posed the question. He stared back at them, coolly. Foaly mumbled something incoherent and searched his files on the computer system. A moment later he turned back to the group, looking rather disgruntled.

"Nothing," he stated.

"Everyone has a weakness," Butler said, "It just takes the right man to find it."

"Butler is right," Artemis smiled at his manservant, "There is always something. Some sort of Achilles' heel. Did we not defeat Koboi with simple truffles?"

"Good point," Holly nodded, "Foaly, check again." The centaur shot Artemis a glare and then searched again, this time reading his results out to the audience.

"Alright, one of the fairies who imprisoned her, kept a nice little diary." Foaly looked at the screen and began to read.

'_It is unlike anything we have ever seen. The Queen has grown over night, to the size of the humans. I can not begin to fathom how this has happened. However her size is still no measure near how much power she wields. This morning, the Queen showed the talent of being able to throw fire, conjuring it in her very palms. No fairy has even done that before, save the goblins. But they are foul creatures. It is odd though, just last week a family of goblins was found dead. There may be a connection, but I doubt it. The Queen is a good person.'_

"And then it skips a few days and goes to this,"

'_The Queen has grown more menacing. She seems to have morphed into some sort of blood thirsty killer. The evening prior to this she hung a family of elves, for reasons unbeknownst to me. I think some of the fairies building her shrine are growing scared, myself included. I feel that the Queen should be taken from power, though I would never dare to tell her. She would surely torture me. However, I think if enough of us band together, we can truly stop her. We must find her weakness though."_

"And that's it," Foaly finished, "It stops there, no more entries. No revelation of the weakness, even of there was one."

"There was," Artemis said happily, "Or else they would have never stopped her. I must simply figure out what said weakness is."

"I don't know Fowl," Foaly said, "She seems pretty mean. Look at what she did to the Mud Boy."

"If anyone can do it, Artemis can," Butler said, placing a hand on his principle's shoulder. Artemis nodded and thanked Butler for the support.

"Okay," Holly put a stop to the verbal bicker that was bound to take place before it started, "At least we have a location now."

"And where might that be?" Trouble and Arielle entered the room. The girl was holding a bottle of water and looking at her feet.

"France," Holly informed them. Then she went on to explain the entire incident about the frozen Pierre. Trouble closed his eyes for a moment, holding back the worry that was threatening to show in them.

"Fine," he said, "We're off to France."

"Who's we?" asked Mulch who, to everyone's surprise, had remained very silent the entire time.

"Me, Artemis and Butler," Holly said.

"And me," spoke Trouble, "Arielle, just in case."

"Right," Foaly said, "And I'll stay here…happily."

"And what about me and the crazy driver here?" Mulch jerked a thumb in Doodah's direction.

"I don't know," Trouble said, "A large group may attract attention."

"Fine," Mulch muttered indignantly, "We'll stay with the horsey-man." Foaly whinnied angrily.

"Watch your mouth Mulch," he warned, "Or I'll find something that Fowl forgot."

"Hardly likely Foaly," smirked Artemis.

"Yeah Foaly, hardly likely. The Mud Boy's just too smart."

"Shut it Mulch," Holly said, "And you too Foaly. You three are all staying here. Trouble is right. And besides, we'll be in constant contact so there is no need to worry. If we need you, we'll talk."

"If you need us?" laughed Foaly, "More like _when_ you need us."

"Fine," Holly rolled her eyes, "When we need you. Now set us up with a shuttle and a flare."

A quarter of an hour later the group stood at the shuttle docking area. All the travellers except the pilot had boarded the shuttle. Instead, she stood outside chatting with Foaly, Mulch, and Doodah. There was a solemn silence between the four allies.

"Be careful Holly," Foaly warned, "Even I have no idea what you're walking into."

"It'll be okay guys," she smiled, "I promise." Foaly blinked a few times. He was nearly crying, remembering the last time Holly had gone on a world-saving mission. Apparently, his thoughts were shared amongst the rest of the group because Mulch took a step forward.

"Don't jump into any holes in time," he said, only a slight bit of humour in his tone, "We don't want you gone for another three years."

"Yeah," Doodah nodded, "Mulch will go batty."

"With your driving, I anticipate it," Holly joked. She quickly hugged her two partners and looked one last time at Foaly, one of her best friends. She tapped her ear piece.

"I won't say goodbye," she winked, "Only talk to you later." Holly quickly embraced the centaur and then skipped onto the shuttle. She buckled up and warned her group to do the rest.

"Alright, take off in one minute. Are you all ready to save the world?"

-----------

**A/N: Hope you liked it. Review please. You all rock; cheers!**

**-Liv**


	19. Disappear

**A/N: Bonjour (: Well guys, sorry that the update is a bit late today. I usually update in the afternoon, but today was just crazy. I had an insane amount of soccer practice to attend. My legs are sore, to put it lightly. Anyhow, please enjoy this chapter. Love and kisses.**

--------------

_Chapter Nineteen;__ Disappear_

**Paris, France**

Night time in Paris, possibly one of the most beautiful things you would ever see. Couples walked hand in hand on the bank of the Seine River, gazing upon the gigantic Eiffel Tower, as a brilliant light show brought them into a world of fantasy. Everything was picture perfect, save for one very odd couple walking down the road; a large Eurasian man and his pale teenaged companion.

Artemis and Butler walked quietly underneath the Eiffel Tower, not being hassled by any of the gypsies who stood about, pleading in various languages for money. Of course that was all thanks to Butler and his fantastic stature. Though, Butler and Artemis were not alone. Contrary to what the human eye saw, there were three other members of the party, floating at a height of five feet, invisible to all.

Artemis and his manservant approached a ritzy hotel, one with a spectacular view of Paris, about to put their plan into action. They were to stakeout here, until more news of Celestia's whereabouts found them. Artemis strolled up to the front desk and looked at the clerk.

"Have you any occupancy?" he asked in perfect French. The woman behind the desk, with long, curly, dark hair, gave him a sideways glance. Then she looked at his companion and her green eyes grew a little. She smiled, in what would seem to be an overly-friendly manner.

"For two sirs?" she asked. Artemis nodded.

"Oh," he said, "A few of my colleagues will be joining us in a few moments. I hope that is in no way an issue."

"Not at all," the woman smiled again, "Everyone is welcome at our hotel."

"Excellent," Artemis smirked as the woman handed him a key for a room on the fourth floor, explaining where it was and all that she was supposed to. Artemis thanked her curtly, almost surprised by his new manners, and he and Butler proceeded up the elevator.

As soon as Butler had finished sweeping the room for any dangers, Artemis entered and immediately bit his lip. He had forgotten how small hotel rooms were.

"Perhaps I should have asked for a room of three," he contemplated aloud. Before Butler could respond, there was a faint tapping on the window. Artemis instantly remembered his fairy companions and opened the window. Although he could not see her, he heard Holly's voice.

"Do we have an invitation?" she asked.

"Yes, it's legitimate. Come on in." Artemis stepped back from the windowsill and mere moments later three fairies had appeared in the hotel room.

"It's squashed," Artemis said begrudgingly.

"We'll live," Holly replied, "We just need a place to wait, and since you're paying this is fine." Artemis opened his mouth to make a witty remark, but then realized that Holly was right and there was no point in arguing her logic. He closed his mouth.

"More waiting?" Trouble asked, "I thought this would be for sure."

"It is," Artemis nodded, "But we haven't pin-pointed her. We only have a general area."

Trouble seemed to want to make a smart remark at Artemis, as she was not particularly fond of the Mud Boy, but Holly held up her hand and spoke.

"It won't be long until we get something," she said, "No worries. And besides stakeouts can be fun."

At those words Butler and Artemis simultaneously recalled their last real stakeout; the one that had led to the capture of Holly Short. That seemed so long ago. Both humans were glad that they were now allied with the elf.

"Right," Butler said, breaking his thought, "Now I suggest we all get some sleep. We don't know how long it will be until we get a chance to do so after tonight."

Everyone mumbled their agreement and looked about the room. Two beds; that could prove to be a challenge. Butler would clearly need one to himself, which left one bed to the four other travellers.

"I'll sleep on the floor if I must," Artemis sighed melodramatically. Holly punched his shoulder lightly.

"Shut up Mud Boy," she laughed, "You're too delicate. I'll take that little sofa thing. The three of you can take the bed." Trouble, the gentleman that he was, objected but Holly would hear nothing of it. And so, it was settled and the companions took to rest. Little did they know that it would be quite an eventful night.

Midnight struck only a few hours later as all were in a deep sleep. All except for Arielle, who lay wide awake contemplating the mistake she had made. She felt a deep sense of remorse and vowed that she would do anything she could to help. As she lay there, simply thinking, something was poking into the back of her mind. Something seemed to be calling to her, pulling her away from herself. She slowly stepped out of the bed and onto the balcony, not even bothering to shield. To anyone looking, it would seem as though a ten year old child had woken up in the middle of the night. Arielle gazed out over the Paris skyline and momentarily her gaze shifted to the south. She stared long and hard, out into a large forest that lay in the distance. Something seemed to be calling her. She tried her hardest to resist, she really did; but the calling seemed to overpower her. Arielle crept back into and across the hotel room, all the while her subconscious telling her to stop. Nothing her better half screamed at her could stop her steps. She took the pair of wings lent to her by the LEP to reach the surface, and gently opened and closed the door without a sound.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, Arielle had followed her mind to the forest and stood in the middle of a clearly, lit vaguely by the moon and the distant Eiffel Tower. As she stood in silence, Arielle's senses slowly returned to her and she was scared. However, before the poor girl had time to realize exactly what was going on she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Arielle turned around and gazed up at the figure which had grabbed her in amazement. She knew exactly who it was, but she couldn't help but to stutter the question.

"Who…who are you?"

"I am Queen Celestia and you…" Celestia paused and pulled Arielle's long dark hair away from her ears, "And you are an elf. Excellent."

Back at the hotel, Butler stirred in his sleep. He awoke and, like the first thing he always did when waking up, looked around. Upon counting the bodies in the room, he realized that there was one missing.

"Everyone," he said, loud enough to wake his slumbering friends, "I think we have a problem."

-------------

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed it. I was missing Paris while I wrote this. Anyways, reviews are much appreciated. Cheers.**

**-Liv. **


	20. Always Right

**A/N: Wow, okay so sorry about taking away Trouble's masculinity in the last chapter. A silly typo on my part. Also, I invented the name of the hotel, so it's not real. Just thought you may have wanted to know that.**

**-------**

_Chapter Twenty; Always Right_

**Callizzi Hotel, Paris**

Holly was stirred from her sleep by someone speaking rather loudly. Her eyes fluttered open and from her place on the sofa, she could see that Trouble had leapt out of sleep and was standing up straight, his full attention given to Butler, who was also very alert. Holly stood slowly and stretched. She noted that Artemis had drawn the blankets over his face and smirked. This was just one more thing to tease him about.

"Is there a problem?" Holly yawned, too tired to realize that someone was missing.

"Look around," Trouble waved his arm around the room. Holly did so.

"D'arvit."

"Exactly," Butler nodded, "Artemis, wake up." The manservant approached the sleeping boy and shook his shoulder with an astounding amount of grace for someone so large. Artemis stirred slightly and then upright.

"Rise and shine Fowl," Holly smirked, "We need to do something." Artemis, as groggy as he was knew a problem when he saw one. He gazed around the room and took a head count, realizing that they were one short.

"Where has she gone off to?" he asked. Butler shrugged.

"We have to find out though," Trouble said, "This is our fault. We brought the fairies to her."

"It's okay," Holly said, patting the thoroughly upset Commander on the shoulder.

"Yes," Artemis nodded, "It's perfectly fine. We'll find her. However, we need to look in the right place. Let's start with what we know."

"She's not used to the surroundings," Holly said, "That must be true, so she's trying to stay hidden. She attacked Pierre in a forest, somewhere reclusive."

"Right, a forest. So let's begin there. Butler, if you would be so kind to look outside and scan the area for any forests within close proximity."

Butler nodded and followed Artemis' instructions, stepping out onto the balcony and returning moments later.

"A forest not too far off, to the south," he stated. Artemis brought his hands together happily.

"We begin our search there."

"Seems a bit too obvious," Holly said. Artemis raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sometimes, Captain, the last place you'd expect should be the first place you look."

"I'm just saying that nothing is that easy," Holly argued.

"Truffles Holly, truffles," was Artemis' only response. Holly felt a twinge of annoyance at the boy's arrogant attitude, but decided to suppress it. Artemis had never been wrong yet. At her silence, Artemis smiled. He quickly got out of bed and strolled to the door.

"Shall we?" All the occupants of the room looked at one another and nodded. None had bothered to change out of their clothes as they had been warned by Butler that speed was a top priority and in case of any sudden alerts, they would have to be ready in mere moments. Holly and Trouble shielded and floated out into the hallway followed by Artemis and Butler, who was carrying a very large gun.

Once safe in the cover of the trees, Holly and Trouble unshielded and landed, looking around. Holly took a moment and contacted Foaly. The centaur answered the call, sounding almost annoyed.

"Hey Holly," he muttered darkly, "Glad you called."

"You sound depressed Foaly," Holly joked, "Did you misplace your carrots?"

"No, the convicts haven't left me alone since you left." Foaly rubbed his hands over his temples as Holly giggled. Artemis cleared his throat reminded Holly that they were on a mission. He almost felt bad doing so, but he was eager to see if his theory that Arielle was here was correct. Holly pursed her lips and then explained the scenario to Foaly, who shook his head sadly.

"Give me just a second Holly," he said, "I'll run some scans, see if there are any magic hotspots near where you are."

Holly nodded and the group waited in complete silence. That is until Mulch's face appeared on Holly's communicator.

"Hey Holly!" he said happily, "Can you do me a favour?"

"Anything," Holly said sarcastically.

"Tell me a joke, please. The centaur is no fun." Holly laughed as she heard Foaly yelling about someone touching his batteries. Mulch was snickering and didn't notice Foaly come up behind him and kick him lightly on the behind.

"Stay away from my technology Mulch," Foaly muttered, "You might stink it up."

Mulch muttered some obscenity and stalked out of view. Holly chucked at her friends' antics as Foaly came back into view to present his findings.

"There was a huge flare of magic in a clearing a few feet north of where you are just moments ago. It's weird though, all trace seems to have disappeared."

"That's alright, thanks Foaly. We'll be in touch." Holly closed the line of communication and turned to look at Artemis, who smiled smugly.

"I told…"

"Save it Fowl," she snapped jokingly, "You're always right. We know." Artemis didn't respond. He simply nodded and the group continued to the clearing. Upon entering they saw absolutely nothing of significance.

"Wonderful," Trouble grunted, "A dead end." No one said anything. They were all thinking the same thing. All of them except Artemis who had curiously approached a cave-like structure towards the far end of the clearing.

"Artemis," Butler said in a warning tone, "Be careful."

"It's perfectly fine Butler," Artemis replied, still approaching the cave, "It's just odd…"

Holly wrinkled her nose in thought and then caught onto his theory.

"A cave, in the middle of nowhere," she said, "It's weird. There are no other rock structures near here. The Alps are way down south."

"So, you think…?" Trouble began.

"It's possible," Holly said, "Want to double check?" Trouble nodded and put the visor of his helmet down, calling up a map of the area. Every map the LEP had was very detailed, almost down to the exact tree.

"It's funny," Trouble said finally, "There haven't been any recorded rock structures here in years."

"I thought as much," Artemis called, now running his fingers over the smooth rock. The other three approached the cave and stared at it blankly.

"What do we do?" asked Butler.

"I propose we go in," Artemis said, "Any volunteers?"

-------

**A/N: Hope that wasn't too lame. Sorry if it was. Also, I can't update tomorrow as I have a very busy day. I'm really sorry, but Sunday will see an update for sure. Cheers.**

**-Liv **


	21. A Memory

**A/N: It's Sunday, and as promised I have an update! It's actually not that great, in my opinion, so hopefully you'll forgive me…yet again. I really like where this entire thing is leading up to though. I have a very good 'dramatic' scene planned out. Enjoy…hopefully.**

-------

_Chapter Twenty-One; A Memory_

**Paris, France**

Arielle sat on the stone floor, tears welling in her eyes. Her delicate elfin features were trembling ever so slightly, and not just from the chill of the earth below her.

"Why do you cry child?" The question came from the shadows, delivered by an icy voice. It was Celestia, standing concealed, watching Arielle slowly destroy herself from the inside.

"You're evil," Arielle spat, "Why'd you call me here?"

"I did not call you in particular," Celestia replied, "You simply came when I called. It is wondrous that you did though." 

"And why is that?" Arielle ventured to ask, even though she already knew the answer. Celestia smiled devilishly and chills ran down Arielle's spine.

"It is a telepathic call I sent out," the queen revealed, "Only those with whom I am deeply connected with will respond. Now, I can't think of a reason why you and I would ever be connected."

She paused a moment and stepped out of the shadows, grinning maniacally, and approached Arielle. She ran a slender finger underneath the young elf's chin and stared right into her eyes.

"Unless of course," she smiled, "You were the one who released me." Arielle's wide-eyes were the only reply that Celestia needed. She stepped back from the girl and looked at her sideways, as if contemplating her fate.

"I really must thank you," Celestia said after a few moments of silence, "It was absolute hell in that prison of mine. I'm finally free, and I can destroy the fairies who imprisoned me."

"They're all dead," Arielle spat, heavy on the contempt. Celestia sighed, almost melodramatically.

"I suppose that's true," she said, "So I suppose I'll destroy their descendants."

"Starting with me?" Arielle asked. Celestia fixed her with another sideways look.

"I'm not sure whether to kill you, or to thank you," she responded, "It is quite a difficult choice."

Arielle felt fuelled by her enemy's indecision.

"If you really want to kill me, I'd do it soon," she spoke softly, in an almost threatening tone. Celestia looked somewhat taken aback. However, she quickly regained her evil composure.

"Any why would I do that dear?" The cruel tone in the Queen's voice killed the stitch of confidence that Arielle had gained only moments earlier.

"Because," the elf said, trying hard to stay brave, "You're no match for my friends." Friends? Was that the right word? Oh well, too late to take it back now. Celestia threw her head back and laughed. It sounded all the world like nails scraping over a chalkboard.

"No one can defeat me," she said, and there was something in her voice that was certain.

------------------

"Go in?" Holly echoed, "But we have no plan, nothing. Whoever goes in there is going to be in danger."

"I'll go," Trouble said. He took a step towards the cave, but was stopped by Holly leaping in front of him.

"No," she whispered. No one spoke. Trouble looked at Holly as though he were annoyed with her behaviour. Artemis was gazing upon the two elves, wondering what was going on between them, although he had a very good hunch of what would come out of Holly's mouth very soon. It almost broke his heart.

"Holly," Trouble said slowly, "Get out of the way." Holly stayed stationary, not moving a single muscle.

"I said move," Trouble repeated through clenched teeth.

"You can't go in there Trouble," Holly said, staring back at the Commander with stone features.

"I can, and I will," Trouble said, raising his voice. Artemis flinched. This would not turn out good for either elf.

"No!" Holly exclaimed, her fingers clenching into fists.

"We're not all like you Short!" Trouble shouted. For a moment, Holly's eyes lost their focus, like she knew what was coming, but that moment passed and she was her stubborn self again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Holly shouted back.

"We don't all give up when things look grim!" Trouble yelled, "Unlike you, I have an actual commitment to the People." Holly's face fell and for a moment everything was static. Then, Holly turned her back on Trouble. Artemis could now see her face, and consequently could clearly distinguish the tears that were welling in her eyes. He wanted to run to her and hug her until she stopped crying, but he decided to be rational and watch her reaction, although he felt incredibly odd doing so. Holly drew in a deep breath.

"You weren't there," she said, no longer shouting, "You have no idea what it was like to watch him die. I…I just don't want to see the death of another Commander."

There was a shocked silence; mostly on Trouble's behalf. He stood planted to the ground, an odd look on his face. Artemis took an awkward step towards Holly, and Butler almost placed a hand out to stop him, as he thought that perhaps this was something that Holly and Trouble had to work out themselves. However, he trusted Artemis and in that moment he seemed to finally comprehended the depth of what Holly and Artemis shared.

Artemis approached Holly, his very best friend, and awkwardly placed his arms around her. She embraced him back and Artemis felt tears soaking through his Armani blazer. As they stood there, Trouble seemed to be knocked out of his daze. He took a step towards the embracing elf and human, but was stopped by Butler, who this time really did raise his hand up.

"Give them a minute," he mouthed to Trouble, who looked as low as he felt.

"I'm sorry Holly," Artemis whispered in her ear.

"Me too," she said softly.

"What for?"

"For completely losing it," she muttered, a small laugh escaping her lips. Artemis chuckled softly.

"I forgive you," he said, nodding. He awkwardly patted her on the back and Holly laughed a little bit more.

"For a genius," she said, "You're hopeless." Artemis gave a small laugh and took his arms away from Holly. As he did, Trouble walked up to her, looking at his feet.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "It's just…it's been more than three years for me. I forgot it feels…"

"Like almost yesterday for me?"

"Yeah, I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," Holly said, giving a small smile with still a glint of anger, "But I'm the one going in there. No ands, ifs, or buts."

------

**A/N: Again, hoping that it wasn't lame. Blah. Review and let me know please. Thanks a billion. Cheers! Oh yes, by the way I think this is slowly coming to an end. I highly doubt that the story will reach thirty chapters, but we shall see. **


	22. Lurking in the Shadows

_Chapter Twenty-Two; Lurking in the Shadows _

After a quick check that everyone's communication equipment was working properly, Captain Short stood outside the mouth of the cave, seemingly having a staring contest with the blackness. She swallowed hard and hoped that this wasn't a suicide mission.

"Remember," Artemis said to her, "Just go in, grab Arielle, and get out. If it's too dangerous, come back. I'm still working on the entire weakness thing so…be careful."

"I'll be fine," she smiled and took one more step forward as Artemis took one back. Inside they both knew that Holly would never turn back. Holly entered the cave and was instantly consumed by the darkness as the three males watched. Time seemed to be frozen, until Artemis had a sudden wave of worry. He took a giant leap towards the cave, but was treated to an unpleasant surprise as the roof of the cave tumbled towards the Earth and a solid wall of rocks separated him from Holly.

**-------**

As soon as she entered the cave, a feeling of cold overtook Holly's slim frame and she shivered slightly. This was an evil place, no doubt about it. She had the urge to turn back, to run to her friends, but Trouble's words echoed in her mind. She would not give up. However, even if she had decided to act upon the desire to leave, she would not have gone far. The mouth of the cave, where she had been standing only moments earlier, caved in and left her in total darkness. Any other elf would have lost their head, right then and there, but not Holly Short. The girl took a deep breath and turned the lights of her helmet on low. If anyone was in here, she wouldn't want to alert them of her presence. Not until she knew who said someone was. Holly crept down the rocky path, amazed at the size of the cavern she was in. From outside, the cave had seemed relatively small, which was one of the reasons they had not sent Butler in. On the inside, it was quite the contrary. As Holly moved the beams from her helmet around to get a good look at her surroundings she noted that she would not have to squeeze through the walls as previously thought. Her inspections were cut short, however, by someone calling her name.

"Holly! Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

It was Artemis, his voice laden with concern. Holly snapped into reality and answered him.

"I'm alright," she said, "But you aren't going to believe what I'm seeing."

"I'm not concerned with that right now," Artemis replied, "Do you know that I was calling you for thirty seven seconds before you answered? That's a long time Holly."

"Fowl," Holly snorted, "Stop being such a mother. I'm fine. And as I was saying, it's amazing in here. This place is massive. Butler could fit in here and have room to do the salsa."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's weird," Holly commented. She was referring to both the size of the cave and the fact that it would be highly 'weird' if anyone ever caught Butler doing the salsa.

"Or magic," Artemis said. Holly made a noise of agreement in her throat.

"Okay Mud Boy, I need to focus" she said, "Stay quiet and don't talk to me again unless you want me to turn off my headset. Alright?"

"Whatever you say Captain," Artemis muttered, "Be careful."

Holly didn't reply and she continued through the cave. _Just how big is this thing?_ Holly contemplated calling out Arielle's name, but thought the better of it. That action could have one of two possible outcomes. One, it could alert some sort of evil creature of her presence. Two, it could trigger another cave-in; something which Holly did not particularly want to do. So the elf remained silent and silently walked forward.

After only a few more moments, Holly caught something moving out of the corner of her eye. _It's only the shadows playing tricks on you Short,_ she told herself, not really buying a word of it. Holly had a gut feeling this would turn into an epic battle of sorts so she switched off her microphone and her earpiece; better not to let anyone hear this and worry about her. Holly continued tip-toeing, slower than usual. She was waiting. Something was going to attack her. She could hear low, venomous breathing. Holly swung herself around, panning the area with light. Something gold glinted in the sudden burst of white light. Holly focused the beams onto the large crevice where she knew the creature was hiding, ready to pounce. A sharp gasp escaped her lips and she was suddenly glad she had turned off her microphone.

Upon being discovered, the creature did not jump out at Holly to attack. Rather, it slowly stalked out of the shadows. Holly's eyes grew wide as the sharp beak of the creature emitted a loud growling. Of course the bird-half of this creature had nothing to do with the growling. It was the lion-half responsible for that.

Holly slowly stepped backwards, careful not to make any sudden movements and scare the creature. She was awestruck. Holly had heard legends of griffins. _Not legends, _her mind said, _Stories. They are real after all._ Holly mentally told herself to shut up. The Academy didn't train for things like legends, just as they didn't train for things like an entire pack of blood-thirsty trolls.

Holly's hand slowly travelled down to her belt and rested on her Neutrino. This would be difficult as the creature was about four times as large as Butler and probably twice as dangerous. But she could do it; she had told Artemis she would be fine. And she intended to stay completely fine, no matter what.

_Yeah right,_ said Holly's bitter side, _You may have stopped the death of another Commander, but Section Eight is losing a Captain tonight._

Holly blocked out her negative side and stared the creature straight into the glinting eyes. The talons of the eagle extended out from the paws of the lion. Holly made a mental note to avoid the talons; and of course the sharp canines protruding from the hooked beak. The tiny elf took a step forward and powered up her wings. Inside her positive side told her that Holly Short would soon be able to add griffin to her list of things defeated.

_Or at least shot at,_ muttered her pessimistic half.

-------

**A/N: Hope you liked it. Keep reviewing. Thanks a bunch. Cheers!**


	23. Realizations and Repeats

_Chapter Twenty-Three; Realizations and Repeats_

After Holly had begun to ignore him, Artemis had taken a seat underneath a large oak tree. He was deep in thought, carefully contemplating the remark that Holly had made earlier. No, not the fact that he was acting like a mother; the one prior to that, about him being hopeless. _Hopeless about what, _he wondered. It was a very good question.

No doubt about it, the relationship between he and Holly had changed greatly over the past couple of years, but what exactly did that mean? Holly was extremely pretty, and she brought Artemis back down to Earth, and the boy truly respected that. There was something that Artemis felt every single time he looked at Holly, although he would never admit it; the captain packed quite a punch. Something inside of Artemis had changed and as he sat under the oak tree he attempted to find out what that something was. It hit him, almost as hard as a tonne of bricks. He had some sort of feelings for Captain Short.

Artemis shook his head; this could not be happening to him. It was definitely some side effect to the devastating puberty that had been put off by his time in Hybras. He was certainly not in lo…No. He would not allow himself to think such things. A genius could not have his mind crowded by feelings of infatuation. If so, bad things would happen. _But maybe,_ teased a small voice in his brain, _maybe she likes you back._ Artemis nearly snorted at himself. Holly would never see anything in a Mud Boy, much less one like Artemis. No, Trouble Kelp was much more her type. Then again, Holly had called him hopeless…about something. And it was at a very odd time. They were hugging. She was crying in his shoulder. He was comforting her. Maybe…just maybe.

"Artemis? Are you awake?"

Butler's voice knocked Artemis out of his stupor. He looked up at his friend and gave a weak smile.

"Just fine," he muttered.

"You look frustrated," Butler said with a hint of humour, "Perhaps trying to hard to figure out the witch's weakness."

Artemis nodded, thankful that Butler had made up an excuse for him. The boy then looked over to Trouble, who was pacing the clearing nervously.

"Any news from Holly, Commander?"

Trouble looked up at him and shook his head. Artemis picked up the fairy helmet he had been wearing before, which he had taken off so he could think, and put it back on.

"Holly? Come in Holly," he said into the microphone. He felt all the world like a boy playing soldiers; a game which he never took part in as a child. However, there was no answer from Holly. Artemis tried again and again received no answer. Something was not right. He glanced up at Commander Kelp again.

"Trouble, I think that my equipment is malfunctioning, can you try to contact Holly?" Trouble nodded and said a few words into his microphone. After a few moments he looked at Artemis and shook his head. There was nothing, no response. Just static silence. All three men knew that something was wrong. They didn't need Foaly's voice in their ears to confirm their notions.

"Guys," he said, his voice almost worried, "I think we have a problem."

Artemis heaved a great sigh and was tempted to use a line he had heard from Juliet many years prior; 'thank you captain obvious'. It was quite fitting to the moment. However, he held his tongue and let the centaur continue.

"Alright," Foaly said, "There are two possible explanations to why Holly isn't answering. She could have her equipment turned off. Or she could be hurt…or d…" 

"Don't say it Foaly," Artemis cut in, "Don't even think it for a mom…"

It was Artemis' turn to be cut off. But he wasn't interrupted by another person. Rather, he was interrupted by a searing pain in his lower abdomen. Artemis doubled over in pain and Butler rushed to his side. He had a gut feeling about what was happening.

"Artemis, deep breaths, are you alright?"

Trouble gazed on the spectacle with wide eyes, while Foaly's silence echoed louder than thunder. After a few moments of horrid anguish, Artemis sat bolt upright, his face whiter than it had ever been.

"Holly's alive," he gasped, "But she's in big trouble."

-------

However, big trouble was putting it lightly if you were Holly Short. Her battle with the griffin had begun, and she was fighting on the losing side. The creature was much larger than her, and much more intimidating. Holly had barely got a single shot at the creature as it kept sweeping at her with its great lion paws. The razor-like talons had nearly missed her a dozen and one times. It was only a matter of time before Holly's luck ran out. As she dodged another attack, Holly had a vague idea. 

"If only I could get on its back," she muttered as she bounced off a rock, narrowly avoiding the crushing feet of the beast. Holly positioned herself carefully on rocky outcrop of wall opposite the beast, ready to jump.

She tried, she really did. But all her efforts were in vain, because as she jumped, the creature stuck out a large paw and hit her square in the stomach, knocking her backwards. She felt deep pain as she hit the wall of the cave, nearly blacking out. She looked down and saw the one of the talons had penetrated her skin and she was reminded of a time many moons ago when she had been stabbed. She had died then, but Artemis had saved her. She would not go this time, not again, not without first saying goodbye to everyone she was leaving behind. But this time, Holly Short did not have Artemis Fowl to help her. But she did have magic, and hopefully it would be enough. Holly felt the darkness creeping up around her eyelids and decided not to fight it. She blacked out.

However, what Holly remembered, right before her consciousness slipped away was that Artemis was with her. He had been the entire time. Right before her body gave out, Holly reached up to her blue eye and a smile grew on her lips. Artemis would figure this out, no doubt about it.

---------

**A/N: Hello loves Alright, so updates may be a little slow for the next few days, but not to worry, the story is finishing up. I like the ending so far. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one is something I like to call 'Drama City'. As I was thinking about it, I thought, 'Maybe it'll be a tear jerker.' Wink, wink. Haha, review please, and I heart all of you. Cheers.**

**-Liv**


	24. Losing Your Mind

_Chapter Twenty-Four; Losing Your Mind_

Outside the cave pandemonium had nearly broken out. Trouble and Foaly were having a worried conversation, which Artemis could hear through his helmet. However their voices sounded like nothing more than buzzing in his ears to the terrified teenager. Holly needed his help. She was in trouble. Artemis could barely process another thought, although there was still a tiny voice of reason, right in the back of his mind, telling him that it was nearly impossible to help Holly. She was trapped behind all those heavy rocks. There was no way he could move them. Not the thin Irish boy. Artemis suddenly stood upright and turned to Butler.

"Butler," he said, his voice surprisingly calm, "Move the rocks." Butler looked at Artemis as though he had lost his mind. One moment the boy was doubled up in pain and the next he was giving orders. Artemis Fowl would never cease to amaze him.

"Pardon me?"

"Move the rocks," he said a bit more urgently, "We need to get to Holly." Artemis vaguely noted that the buzzing in his ears had stopped; meaning that he now had the full attention of Foaly and Commander Kelp. Butler bit his lip.

"Artemis," he mumbled, "I doubt that I can do so. I'm not as young as I used to be. Maybe a few of the smaller ones but…" 

"No." Artemis interrupted him. He would not accept this. His friend needed help.

"Artemis," said Foaly's voice in his ear, "Butler is right, we can't do anything about the situation. The rocks are massive." Artemis ignored the centaur.

"Commander," Artemis turned to Trouble. He was absolutely desperate, "Please, help. Blast the rocks or something. We need to get in there." Trouble didn't draw his weapon.

"I can't fire at them Fowl," he said, "It'll only make more fall."

Artemis closed his mouth. He knew Trouble was right. He knew Foaly was right. He knew Butler was right. What he didn't know though, was why he was still bothering to think of an alternative. There was nothing that could be done.

_But Holly's in trouble_, he told himself mentally, _she needs my help._

It was at that point that pandemonium completely broke out. Artemis, for the first time in his life, lost all sensibility. All the intelligence in the world could not stop him from running to the cave and trying to lift the rocks. The only thing his brain processed was the insane desire to rescue his elfin friend. Artemis was crying freely, something which he rarely did. At the back of his mind he realized that this was the second time he had cried for Holly, in a relatively short time period. Artemis, who could not succeed at moving the large rocks, instead took to throwing tiny stones away from the cave. The genius had never felt so helpless, not even when he had nearly lost Butler years earlier. He knew that nothing he was doing was having any effect, and he hated that notion. Trouble looked on, incredulously. He almost pitied the Mud Boy. Trouble knew what it was like to lose someone close. He had no idea that Artemis knew the feeling as well. Butler ran to his principle and easily pulled him away from the rocks.

"Artemis," he said, "Get a hold of yourself."

"Butler," Artemis sobbed, attempting to quickly rid his eyes of tears, "I have to get to her."

"You can't Artemis, she'll be fine." Butler put him down. Artemis only proceeded to crumple to the floor, quite to everyone's surprise. It was then that the Irish youth felt a very uncharacteristic anger take a hold of him. He was fed up with everyone refusing to help, with everyone giving up on Holly. The next words that came out of his mouth were yelled louder than he intended.

"HOLLY DIED ONCE!" he screamed. And as he said those words, their truth became all too obvious. The reality that life only leads to death suddenly hit Artemis and he lowered his voice. "I can't let it happen again," he said in a whisper, "Not when she barely made it last time."

Butler's jaw dropped, along with Trouble's. What was Artemis talking about? 

"Fowl," Foaly said into his ear, "What in the name of Frond are you talking about. Holly's not dead."

Artemis took a deep breath and explained the entire story of what had happened in Hybras and when he was finished; his audience shared a feeling of horror.

"That's why I need to save her," Artemis said quietly. _That and I think I love her._

-------

Holly's eyes fluttered open and she felt rejuvenated. The magic had healed her wounds. As Holly slowly recollected the events leading up the injury, she realized that if she didn't move soon, no amount of magic could help her. The griffin was advancing on her menacingly, most likely ready to consume it's 'dead' prey. And of course if Holly was ripped apart by that beak, magic would not sew her back together. However, the elfin captain did not move. She kept almost completely still, reaching out to her left ever so slightly, to retrieve something she had dropped earlier.

The griffin continued moving towards her, and as it neared, its beak opened to its full extent, ready to gobble up the tasty elf. Holly wouldn't allow that. _Just a few more steps, _she thought. The creature came a little closer and Holly made her move. She squeezed the trigger on her Neutrino and a thick laser beam was released into the griffin's throat. It let out a loud screech, clearly in pain.

Holly took advantage of the creature's pain and jumped up in its back. She pumped a few rounds right at the nape of the neck, where the eagle feathers met the lion's fur; one of a griffin's sensitive spots. The creature's legs buckled in pain and it fell to the ground, unconscious. Holly grinned. She was still alive. A tiny bit sore but alive. Now, time to see how the others were holding out. Captain Short reopened her line of communication. As soon as she did she heard Artemis' voice telling the story of her death in Hybras. Holly could only imagine what had made him do that. They had agreed to keep it between them. Something big must've happened.

"That's why I need to save her," she heard Artemis finish. Holly took this as her opportunity to speak. She cleared her throat.

"I'm just fine," she said, "Tell me you haven't lost your head Mud Boy."

-----

**A/N: Okay. I pictured that extremely differently. I hope it was alright. Reviews are good, as you all know because I tell you at the end of every chapter. Also, as I said before, I probably won't be able to update for the next little while, and if I do, it'll be rare. But no worries, I shall not forget about you. Ha-ha. Cheers 3**

**-Liv. **


	25. Face To Face

_Chapter Twenty-Five; Face to Face_

"Holly," Artemis let out a sigh of relief, "What happened in there?"

"Long story," Holly grunted, rubbing some rubble off her arm.

"Do tell," she heard Foaly in her earpiece, "And while you're at it you can explain about your little adventure in Hybras."

Holly sighed. If Artemis had been standing beside her, she would have punched him, extra hard, for spilling the secret. She heard Foaly let out a sigh as well.

"Long story short," Holly muttered, "Griffin's have sharp claws." She heard a rather sharp intake of breath.

"That's impossible Holly," she heard Artemis say, "A griffin?"

"It's very possible," Holly replied, "You felt it, didn't you?"

"Yes," Artemis gulped, almost unsure of whether or not he should have answered.

"Is that why you totally lost it?" she questioned, "And is that why you spilled everything about Hybras?"

"That's not really the point Holly," Artemis said, sounding slightly exasperated, "And if we're going to get into interrogations perhaps you can answer as to why you had your equipment turned off."

Holly glared at the wall of the cave, picturing it to have Artemis' face. If there was not the possibility of hundreds of rocks crushing her, she would have shot at it. Instead, she answered the question.

"I didn't want to worry anyone," she said lamely.

"Oh, well that worked wonderfully," Artemis retorted, his voice full of sarcasm. Holly scowled. Artemis could be so intolerable.

"Look Holly," he continued, this time with more heart, "We were all worried about you and I did…lose it, I suppose. I'm sorry." The elf nearly smiled. That was more like it.

"It's alright," she said, "Now, no more small talk. I have a mission to finish." There was a quiet thoughtfulness on the other headsets.

"Are you sure you want to do that Short?" asked Trouble, "It could be dangerous."

"I'll be fine Commander," she assured him, "No worries."

"But Holly," this argument came from Foaly, "You may need help."

"I'll be fine," she said again, this time mostly for convincing herself, "Just give me a little while. Artemis, hurry up with that weakness. I have a feeling we'll need it."

"Me too," Artemis sighed, taking off his helmet. He retreated back to the oak tree and began meditating.

----------

Holly crept away from the griffin before it could wake up and do her any more harm. She had just finished a rather snippy conversation with Artemis and was, needless to say, rather angry. The Mud Boy had quite some nerve questioning her like that. But then again, he had said he was worried about her. Did that make it alright? Holly honestly didn't know, but she did know that Artemis had admitted to feeling something other than smugness. That was good. She smiled; the Mud Boy had changed greatly over the course of time which she had known him. It was definitely a change for the better.

However, something bothered Holly. She had called him hopeless; about what she wasn't sure. It had sort of just slipped out. And of course, at a very awkward moment. She and Artemis had been having…a moment? Well, maybe.

_Yes, maybe,_ said her inner elf, _maybe you love him._

Holly wasn't sure whether to laugh or slap herself across the face with certain violence. She decided on the previous, as she had enough physical abuse for the day. Love was a strong word. She most definitely did not love Artemis Fowl. Not a chance. Not love.

But maybe like. Maybe she liked him. Holly mentally shot herself in the foot. Foaly wasn't far off with the cheesy Mud Man novel idea. She could not possibly have feelings for Artemis Fowl. He was a Mud Boy. She was an elf. No. No, no, no, no, no.

Yes.

Holly was about to go with her second option of slapping herself when something distracted her. There was a glowing light coming from a tunnel to the right of her; two possibilities. She had either found who she was looking for, or she had died and that was why she was having these thoughts about the pale Mud Boy. Both options were good ones in her opinion.

Holly followed the tunnel and, upon reaching the light, found herself in a vast cavern. In the middle of the cavern sat a very scared looking Arielle. Holly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I've got her," she muttered into her helmet microphone, "She looks scared, but she's alive. No sign of the witch though." Holly didn't bother listening to what her companions said back. She had a job to do, and it would get done. As Holly approached, Arielle looked at her. Holly smiled and knelt down beside her.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Mostly," Arielle answered, "But we're in danger. We've got to get out of here."

"My thoughts exactly." Holly stood up and held out her hand so Arielle could get up. Arielle wrapped her fingers around Holly's hand and the elfin captain pulled her up.

"Let's get out of here," she muttered darkly, "Before…"

Holly didn't finish her statement. She heard footsteps echoing down the cavern. 

"D'arvit," she said, "Please tell me that it's the griffin again."

"There was only one griffin," someone said. Holly shuddered. The voice was creaky and cold. It was worse than the voice Artemis had used when they had first met. She didn't like it one bit.

"And it seems as though my pet will be out for a little while. That wasn't very nice of you."

Holly spun around and came face to face with Celestia. There was a look of determination in Holly's eyes that paralleled the evil look in the eyes of the dark queen. This was to be a showdown. And there would only be one winner.

Celestia broke Holly's gaze and conjured up a ball of purple sparks in her fingers. With one swift movement she threw them in Captain Short's direction. Holly jumped out of the just in time. This was the griffin thing all over again. Inside, Holly deeply hoped that Artemis was close to a solution.

Right outside the magical cave, Artemis Fowl's mismatched eyes snapped open. He had an answer, and he was eager to share it.

-------

**A/N: Well, hop you enjoyed that one. Cheers!**


	26. Inner Conversations

**A/N: Just to let you know in advance, this may become a tiny bit confusing, as a lot of the conversations happening in this chapter are thoughts. I think it's pretty self explanatory though. Pay close attention. Woo! Happy reading.**

**-----**

_Chapter Twenty-Six; Inner Conversations _

Holly dodging Celestia's attack had some repercussion. The ball of sparks hit the opposite wall and sent rocks flying all over the place. Between keeping herself and Arielle from getting hit, Holly did not pay any attention to the voice in her ear. It was Artemis' voice, and unbeknownst to her, he was muttering something about having solved their problems. Holly landed on her feet, Arielle in a ball beside her. The captain was mad. She had had enough. Holly pulled out her Neutrino and shot at Celestia, hitting her square in the stomach. The queen was thrown backwards by the force, which she had obviously not been expecting. Holly looked down at her weapon.

"Too easy," she muttered angrily. However, it seemed that the queen was knocked out and that gave Holly a minute to think. She was about to open contact to Artemis when she heard a tiny voice in her head. A voice that wasn't hers.

"_Holly?"_

Holly paled considerably. She would kill him.

_I told you to stay out of my brain Mud Weasel._

Holly began to block out any thought of Artemis. She tried desperately and in response she heard an annoyed sigh from inside her mind.

"_Please don't block me out Holly,"_ Artemis told her subconsciously, _"You weren't answering me, so I figured this was the only way to contact you. We have talked like this before."_

_Talk fast._

"_I found the weakness."_

Holly could just picture the smug look on Artemis' face.

_I said talk fast, _she thought, _I want you out soon. Plus, she'll be waking up at any moment._

"_Fair enough. It's power. Her one weakness is power."_

_Artemis, you're losing your touch. _Holly snorted. Whether it was out loud or mentally she could not tell.

"_I'm serious Holly."_

_Maybe you haven't noticed, but power is what got us into this mess in the first place. Her power and the fact that it's too strong. Much too strong to be a weakness._

"_That's the thing," _Artemis conveyed his thoughts to his elfin companion. _"She may have power, but it's ancient. She's old and her powers are out of date. That's why your little laser blast knocked her down. She's never experienced anything like it. It's not something she can defend herself from. Use your power against her."_

_Keep firing? Sure thing. _Holly smirked. This would be fun. Who ever said revenge wasn't partially sweet? 

"_No, not literally Holly. Distract her. Stun her with technology."_

Holly's thought waves with Artemis were interrupted by Celestia stirring out of her stupor. She quickly turned her mind back to Artemis, to say goodbye.

"_Wait, before you go…"_

_No time Mud Boy._

"_Arielle has to say the spell."_

Holly completely blocked Artemis out of her mind. She had other things to focus on, and what with Celestia regaining her footing, there was no time for explanations from Artemis. All she knew was that if this plan worked she would never hear the end of it from Foaly; about how his beloved technology saved their hides.

"What was that?"

Holly looked over at the Queen, who seemed quite dishevelled from her tumble.

"Power," the elf smirked. Celestia glared at her.

"There is not a chance that you have power greater than mine."

"What makes you say that?" Holly smirked even more. She was simply following Artemis' instructions. Distract her. She hated being a distraction. Holly ran her long fingers along the barrel of her Neutrino and pointed it directly at Celestia, pulling the trigger lightly and sending a small blast her way. The Queen stumbled backwards and Holly took advantage of her momentary lapse in concentration to glance down at Arielle.

"Say the spell," she muttered quickly and quietly to the younger elf. Holly really didn't understand the significance of the three words she had just uttered, but a look of realization dawned on Arielle's face. She nodded. Celestia stood shakily again, angered at the second hit.

"What is that in your hand?" she asked inquisitively. Holly knew that if she did not have the Neutrino she would most likely be dead by now.

"I already told you," Holly said. She noticed that Arielle was slowly standing up. However, Celestia did not. She was too busy staring at Holly's hands.

"It is impossible," she said, "I have power beyond anything you could ever dream of. How do you I grew to the size of the humans? I killed them and took their so-called powers. Why do you believe it is possible for me to conjure fire from my palms? I killed goblins and took their powers. I have the best from every race. You have no chance against me."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Arielle said strongly. She stepped up beside Holly and she smiled.

Arielle closed her eyes and let herself be overtaken by magic. She felt power rushing through her veins. She had started this entire mess and she would be the one to fix it. Before she could even process her thoughts, words began flowing from her lips.

"_Witch away, banished be,_

_Stay away for all eternity. _

_Imprisoned by light,_

_Against your dark._

_Witch away, banished be,_

_Stay away for all eternity."_

A moment of deathly silence passed, taking what seemed to be a century to end. A horrified look came over Celestia's face as a tiny hole appeared in her abdomen, growing. Light shot out of her 'wound' and her terrified, pained screams nearly destroyed Holly and Arielle's ears. Both elves placed hands over their ears as the queen exploded into a thousand beams of white light. After several moments, the screaming abruptly ended and Holly looked around, surveying the cavern. There was a tiny prism on the ground where Celestia had been standing only seconds before. Holly picked it up and pocketed it.

"Safer that way," she muttered to herself. The she turned to Arielle. "Good job," she smiled. Arielle beamed.

"Thanks Captain. Although, I really don't know where those words came from."

"It doesn't matter," Holly laughed, "All that matters is that they came." Arielle nodded and opened her mouth to reply when a single stone fell from the ceiling. The cave, now with no magic to support it, would crumble in moments.

"Let's split," Holly said. She grabbed Arielle and clipped her to her belt. Holly activated her wings and flew out the way she came in. As they approached the entrance, Holly took out her Neutrino and smiled. More shooting. She blasted a few rounds into the rock slide that had destroyed her entrance and was soon left with a smoking hole in the rock, which she proceeded to fly out of.

Holly and Arielle landed gracefully right under the nose of a very pale, shocked looking Mud Boy. Artemis smiled. His plan had worked. Although, that was needless to say.

------

**A/N: I hope that you all liked that. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a very good climatic battle. Here's hoping. Review please. Cheers.**


	27. Reunited

**A/N: I'm sorry about the tragically clichéd death of Celestia. And I'm also sorry about the severe suck factor that the spell had. I never was much of a poet. Also, I'm sad that this story is slowly coming to an end. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

------

_Chapter Twenty-Seven; Reunited _

Artemis nearly clapped his hands to express his immense joy at seeing Holly alive and in one piece. Nearly, but not quite. Instead, he contented himself with smiling happily and launching himself at Holly, in an attempt to hug her. However, his embrace came to an abrupt halt as Trouble Kelp pulled her away and looked at her up and down. A look of relief was all over his face.

"You're okay Short," he sighed happily, "Good."

Holly looked at the Commander with mock hurt displayed on her features. "Did you ever really doubt me?" she asked.

"Not really," Trouble replied, grinning. Then the Commander looked at Artemis, who was still standing midway through a step. He laughed. "I think the Mud Boy wants you." Holly turned to Artemis and laughed as well. She took one step closer to him and wrapped her slender arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered, "You did really well."

"Did you ever really doubt me?" he asked, smirking against her shoulder. Holly rolled her eyes and pushed him away.

"Never," she laughed.

"Are you two done yet?" Foaly asked from miles below their feet, "I want to hear what happened." Holly grimaced inwardly. She had been having another moment with Artemis Fowl. Foaly would never let her live this down. She was doomed to torture for the next century.

"We'll explain everything once we're back underground," Artemis told the centaur.

"Yeah," Holly agreed thankful that Artemis had intervened before Foaly could make a romance crack, "When's the next flare due?"

"About two hours," Foaly replied, "So you can have your little moments in the city of love for a while longer." Holly winced. So much for Foaly's lack of romantic jokes.

Neither Artemis nor Holly wanted to give Foaly any more blackmail material, so Artemis changed the subject.

"Believe it or not," he said, "We still have work to do." Holly raised an eyebrow at him in question. "The twins," Artemis continued, "We have to go pick them up. And besides I want to make sure that Pierre and Minerva are alright."

"Well let's go then," Holly said, activating her wings and flying up to a height of ten feet. She was happy to be able to distract herself from talking to Artemis.

-----

About half an hour later, Holly and Artemis stood on the porch of Chateau Paradizo, Holly's invitation still in effect. Artemis reached for the doorbell and pressed down. Moments later, Minerva answered the door. A large grin appeared on her face at the sight of her guests.

"You were quick this time," she greeted them, "I was almost expecting another three years." Holly and Artemis smiled at her and stepped inside.

"How are the twins?" Artemis asked, "I hope they behaved." 

"They were wonderful," Minerva answered, "It was nice not to be alone, especially with having to deal with Pierre…you know."

"Yes," Artemis nodded, "Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Minerva smiled, "Upstairs sleeping actually. The poor boy, that witch could have killed him." She paused for a few seconds and looked at Holly. "Captain Short," she said, "Pierre keeps muttering things in his sleep about elves and fairies and underground civilizations. From what I can gather, I suppose you'd want him mind-wiped?"

"That would probably be best," Holly nodded, "I can't do it myself, as I no longer have the kit that I did with the LEP, but I think Trouble can. He's outside, mind if he comes in?"

Minerva shook her head, "Not at all."

Holly contacted Trouble through her helmet and told him he would have to do a mind-wipe. After only a few minutes, Trouble had zipped into the house and, after introducing himself to Minerva rather grudgingly, zipped all the way upstairs to perform a mind-wipe.

After all was said and done, Minerva, Artemis, and the twins sat in the living room, and Artemis was sharing his adventure with his brothers and friend. Holly and Trouble had gone outside with Butler.

"You know you're lucky, right?" Minerva said after Artemis had finished. Artemis looked at the blonde girl quizzically.

"How so?" he asked.

"You get to have all these amazing adventures," she replied, "And you have friends that are much beyond anything that humans could ever imagine. You're just lucky."

Artemis thought about what Minerva had said for a moment. 

"You know," he said, "You're right."

At that moment, Holly's voice echoed in Artemis' ear.

"Time to go Fowl," she said, "The flare will be up in about forty minutes, and we've got to get back to Paris."

Artemis conveyed this information to Minerva who smiled and nodded. She escorted her guests to the front door. It was time for another goodbye. First, Minerva knelt down to the twins.

"Bye bye boys," she smiled a large smile at them, "It was so much fun having you here! I'll see you at Christmas!"

"With a big present?" asked Connor. Brailey punched his twin's shoulder.

"It's not polite to ask," he whined. Connor rolled his eyes. Minerva laughed at their antics.

"Yes, of course," she said, "With a very big present." The boys looked absolutely delighted as Minerva stood up, now face to face with Artemis.

"Next adventure," she said, "I'm joining you. It's already two that I've missed."

"Third time's the charm," Artemis chuckled. Minerva shook her head jokingly and hugged Artemis.

"It was good to see you again friend," she smiled. Artemis nodded.

"Definitely. We should…hang out more often." As he spoke those words he was suddenly reminded of the conversation he had had with Holly Short upon returning from Hybras, about never getting to just hang out. Artemis sighed slightly and noticed that Minerva was smirking.

"What's so funny?" Artemis asked.

"Let me know what happens with Holly," said the French girl. Artemis looked puzzled. Then it suddenly dawned on him. Minerva was a genius, and she knew a thing or two about relationships. Artemis paled. Was it that obvious that he had feelings for his friend? No, Minerva was just extremely intelligent. Artemis smiled, a happy genuine smile.

"I will," he said. Then he turned to his brothers, "Come on boys," he ushered them out of the house, "We have to go. Holly's waiting for us."

-----

**A/N: That chapter was kind of boring and I think it may have moved to fast. Sorry about that. Also, I just thought that you should know that this is not the last chapter. But the next one is. It should be up tomorrow, as I already have some of it written. I'm hoping it'll please you. Awesome! Cheers!**


	28. Back Below

_Chapter Twenty-Eight; Back Below_

Once the shuttle had landed safely in Haven, the group made their way to the Section Eight Headquarters. Holly trudged slowly up the stairs that led to Foaly's office. She was, of course, in no hurry to let the torment begin. Oh well, the sooner a century of jokes at her expense began, the sooner it ended. When they finally reached Foaly's office, Holly knocked once and opened the door. Foaly was all smiles when he saw the elf. He trotted up to her as she walked into the room and gave her a big hug. After greeting everyone else, and glaring wearily at the twins, Foaly sighed.

"So," he said, "Explain."

And that's exactly what they did. The five companions recollected their entire tale, not leaving out any details. Well, that's not entirely true. Holly and Artemis both left out the part where they had made the startling discovery of how they felt about each other. Not only would it be completely mortifying to admit it, but Foaly was not exactly the most compassionate centaur under the Earth.

"So, you imprisoned her again?" he asked, looking at Arielle. The youngest elf nodded.

"And then what?" asked Foaly.

"And then this," Holly said, pulling the tiny prism out of her pocket. Foaly stared at it thoughtfully. He took it from Holly and ran his fingers over it a few times.

"Interesting," he mumbled, "Arielle, you seem to have mimicked the entire original curse. Just as long as no one ever releases her again, we'll be fine." 

"How can we ensure that?" asked Butler.

"Simple," Foaly said, tossing the prism onto his desk, "I keep it." Butler shrugged. It was a simple enough plan.

"And what about me?" Arielle asked, still a trace of timid in her voice.

"You go home," Foaly said, "No charges or any of that. It was an accident, and it's solved. So, go home, sleep, and don't learn any more spells."

The group laughed. Arielle turned to leave and Trouble placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll drive you home, if you'd like," he said, ever the gentleman, "It's late and it's a pretty far walk."

Arielle smiled, "That'd be great, if you aren't needed here anymore." Trouble looked over at Foaly who shook his head and motioned that they could leave. Trouble escorted Arielle out of the room, which left Butler, Artemis, Holly, Foaly, and the twins, who sat quietly, staring at Foaly as though he would explode at any moment. Holly laughed inside, that was her fault.

"So, another adventure ended," Artemis sighed, "I suppose it's time for me to return home? Get out of your hair until next time?"

"You're a mind reader Fowl," Foaly said sarcastically. 

"What about the twins?" asked the teenager, "No mind wipe?"

"What's a mind wipe?" Brailey asked, upon hearing mention of twins.

"It sounds like it hurts," Connor said, "I don't want one."

Holly smiled at the boys and walked over to them. She grabbed their hands.

"No need to worry," she said in a friendly tone, "Mind wipes don't hurt. And you don't need one." She looked at the centaur. "Right Foaly?"

The centaur nodded, "Right Holly. Just keep an eye out for them Fowl." Artemis nodded. He would make sure to keep the secret of the People a secret.

"Okay Holly," said Foaly, "There's a flare to Tara in twenty minutes. You want to fly them back?" Holly nodded. Of course she did.

-----

It was the dead of night when the travellers stepped out of the shuttleport and onto the soft grass of Tara. Holly glanced up at the star-filled sky and smiled. Artemis did the same. Butler, who had a sneaking suspicion quite near to Minerva's, took the twins.

"I'm going to start the car," he told the elf and Artemis. Their jeep was still parked under a tree from the mere hours ago they had arrived in Tara, protected from unwanted eyes by a fairy projection. Artemis nodded and his manservant walked away, followed by two tiny children. Once they were out of earshot, Artemis grabbed Holly's hand. The captain gave a slight gasp, although she looked rather pleased. After a moment, she pulled her hands away and took her helmet off. No need for any interruptions from Foaly.

"Holly," the boy began, "Thank you for another adventure."

"There'll be more," Holly smiled. 

"Indeed. The world always needs saving," Artemis chuckled, "But perhaps I could see you before then." Holly's eyes flashed with a certain emotion that Artemis could not exactly place. Perhaps embarrassment, maybe even happiness.

"I would like that Artemis," she said.

"Right," Artemis said. He wasn't finished. There was so much more that he wanted to say to Holly, but he couldn't find the right words. He was speechless.

"You know," Holly said, breaking the thick silence that had fallen, "If you're ever bored you can just call me up. We can talk."

Artemis smirked and pointed at his head, "Why bother calling?"

"No way Mud Boy," Holly laughed, "No more messing with my mind."

"Of course not Holly, of course not."

Another silence fell, this one soft and friendly. Both elf and human stood, staring at each other, quietly.

"I guess I should get going," Holly said, "It's been fun." She turned and began to walk back to the shuttleport, but stopped suddenly. Holly whipped around to face her favourite Mud Boy, a sly smile spread across her lips. Artemis raised an eyebrow at her.

"I forgot to ask," she giggled, "How's puberty going?" Artemis looked somewhere between mortified and amused. After a moment of processing the odd question, Artemis returned Holly's sly smile.

"Quite well," he replied. Suddenly, he closed the space in between them and kissed her cheek quickly. As his lips drew away from her cheek, he blushed terribly. So terribly that it was quite visible in the faint starlight. Holly looked pleased. She laughed.

"You're hopeless Artemis," she said and disappeared from view.

Mere moments later, Holly Short sat in the shuttle, waiting for a flare to come.

Five minutes.

Holly smiled; a happy expression all over her elfin features. She was thinking about Artemis, and the kiss she had just received. Today had been a good day, save the world, shoot things, and get a kiss from Fowl. Foaly must never know. She put her helmet back on.

Four minutes.

Artemis hadn't moved one muscle since Holly had left. He would stand there forever if he had too, just to preserve the moment. However, there was no need to be silly and stay in one place forever. That memory would be etched into his mind forever. He stayed in his reverie until a loud honk of the jeep horn blasted into his ears. Butler was waiting.

Three minutes.

Foaly was muttering some techno-mumble-jumble in Holly's ears. She didn't really listen, which was a first for her. She always listened to Foaly, whether she was interested or not. But now, she had something better to do. She had something else on her mind. The centaur's voice was simply humming in the back of her head.

Two minutes.

Artemis climbed in the jeep and did up his seatbelt. His brothers were in the backseat, chatting excitedly about a movie they had watched, something about robots. Butler was beside him, looking at him through the corner of his eye. Artemis didn't notice. He was too busy thinking about his beautiful elfin friend.

One minute.

Holly got ready to fly. However, at the forty-second mark a small voice popped into her head. It was the voice of a certain Irish boy. Holly was happy to hear Artemis in her mind again, even though she had told him to stay out.

"_Holly, I think I love you."_

**The End**

------

**A/N: It's over! Wow, I don't believe it. I hope you enjoyed it overall. I'm posting a new one soon, most likely today. Possibly tomorrow, so watch out for it, if you're interested. It's been fun. Cheers!**

**-Liv xox**


End file.
